Mixed martial arts was not even authorised in France just two years ago. The UFC hosts a Fight Night in Paris this evening, marking the first time that MMA's premier organisation has ever travelled to the nation.
Ciryl Gane, a heavyweight from the area, will compete in the main event in an effort to reclaim the heavyweight championship he lost earlier this year. Unbeaten and the interim champion going into UFC 270, Francis Ngannou—a former teammate of Gane's who is better known for his knockouts than his grappling—surprised the crowd with an impressive wrestling performance. In any case, Gane suffered his first setback of his professional career at the hands of Ngannou, putting the 32-year-old in need of a victory to get back on track.
Tonight's fight between the unexpectedly skillful and nimble heavyweight Gane and the Australian Tuivasa has Gane as the favourite to win. The tourist, though, enters UFC Paris having won five straight matches, all by knockout, which has led many to argue that he shouldn't be as big of an underdog as the bookmakers have pegged him to be.
Who will have their hands raised at UFC Paris? Discover the latest news from UFC Paris below.
GYM NASTY UFC Paris Picks
Let's see how the UFC Paris card unfolds with the GYM NASTY UFC picks. Well, let's see how wrong we get it. 😂
Picks for #UFCParis pic.twitter.com/ObE1rVCGZF
— GYM NASTY 💪🏻 (@gymnasty_world) September 3, 2022
Where to watch UFC Paris
We kick off with an incredible fight night for the first time in France as UFC Paris gets underway with a heavyweight headliner.
Main Card (8 PM GMT - UK Time, BT Sport 3)- Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa
- Robert Whittaker vs. Marvin Vettori
- Alessio Di Chirico vs. Roman Kopylov
- John Makdessi vs. Nasrat Haqparast
- William Gomis Jarno Errens
- Charles Jourdain vs. Nathaniel Wood
Preliminary Card (5 PM GMT - UK Time, BT Sport 3)
- Dustin Stoltzfus vs. Abusupiyan Magomedov
- Fares Ziam vs. Michal Figlak
- Nassourdine Imavov vs. Joaquin Buckley
- Benoit Saint Denis vs. Gabriel Miranda
- Khalid Taha vs. Cristian Quinonez
- Stephanie Egger vs. Ailin Perez
UFC PARIS QUICK RESULTS:
- Ciryl Gane def Tai Tuivasa - KO Punches, Rd 3
- Robert Whittaker def Marvin Vettori - Decision, unanimous (30-27 x2, 29-28)
- Nassourdine Imavov def Joaquin Buckley - Decision, unanimous (29-28 x2, 30-27
- Roman Kopylov def Alessio Di Chirico - KO Punches
- William Gomis def Jarno Errens - Decision - Majority, (30-27 x2, 29-28)
- Nathaniel Wood def Charles Jourdain - Decision, unanimous, 30-27 x2, 29-28
- Abusupiyan Magomedov def Dustin Stoltzfus - TKO, Punches, Rd 1. 0:19
- Nasrat Haqparast def John Makdessi - Decision, unanimous, 30-27
- Fares Ziam def Michal Figlak — Decision, unanimous, 30-27 x2, 29-28
- Benoit Saint-Denis def. Gabriel Miranda — TKO, punches, Rd. 2 0:16
- Cristian Quinonez def. Khalid Taha — TKO, punches, Rd. 1 3:15
- Stephanie Egger def. Ailin Perez — Submission, rear-naked choke, Rd. 2 4:54
Stephanie Egger vs. Ailin Perez
Earlier tonight (Saturday, September 3, 2022), Stephanie Egger and Ailin Perez squared off at UFC Paris. By the end of the second round, Egger successfully applied the rear naked choke submission.
Cristian Quinonez vs. Khalid Taha
Quinonez made a strong start, stopping his opponent in the first round with strikes.
Benoit Saint-Denis vs. Gabriel Miranda
After a very active first round from both fighters, St. Denis comes out strong in the second and secure the knockdown, ending the fight with a TKO.
Fares Ziam vs. Michal Figlak
Farès Ziam rocks Figlak early, eventually defeating him by unanimous decision.
Nasrat Haqparast vs. John Makdessi
Haqparast and Makdessi is the second fight to go the distance at UFC Paris, the winner by unanimous decision is Nasrat Haqparast.
Abusupiyan Magomedov vs. Dustin Stoltzfus
Magomedov secured the fourth fastest UFC debut in middleweight history, shortly after a mean frontkick to the face of Stolzfus, finishing with a flurry of punches.
Charles Jourdain vs. Nathaniel Wood
After a fight of the night potential Nathaniel Wood secures the win via unianimous decision.
Jarno Errens vs. William Gomis
A strong fight for Gomis up until the final seconds as Errens almost pulls off a tight triangle.
Roman Kopylov vs. Alessio Di Chirico
The winner by knockout is Roman Kopylov. After a long fight, late in the third round, Kopylov secures the win via headkick, followed up with a rapid flurry of punches.
Nassourdine Imavov vs. Joaquin Buckley
Goes the distance but it wasn't without excitement. Imavov has a strong first and second round against Buckley. Buckly comes out strong in the third cutting down the distance but loses the decision.
Robert Whittaker vs. Marvin Vettori
Robert Whittaker shows that he can still do five rounds with his defeat over Marvin Vettori via unanimous decision. After a dominant three rounds, Bobby Knuckles outclasses Vettori with his unique fighting style mixing kicks, high and low with boxing to cut the distance.
Throughout the fight Vettori as usual shows a chin of granite, wobbled but no knockdowns.
Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa
The main event, like the rest of the card didn't dissapoint. The first fight of many in Paris, France and after that fight night, the first of many.
Ciryl Gane puts a stop to Tai Tuivasa's five fight win streak with a brutal knockout that sees the Australian knockout artist wobbling on his feet.
Take a bow king #UFCParis pic.twitter.com/l4zWTqWEHL
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 3, 2022
Can tell the Fench were excited for this one. Accor arena was packed out early and they haven’t been failed so far
Wow Quinonez came out heavy with those kicks and shut Taha down. Great fight