Fever la France as unforgettable UFC Paris show proves City of Light is City of Fight

UFC ULTIMATE INSIDER COLUMN: Paris pushes claims to be the combat sports capital as rabid home crowd help French fighters to go undefeated on memorable night for Nassourdine Imavov

UFC Paris stood taller than the Eiffel Tower on an in-Seine night of action in the French capital that saw home fighters sweep the board.

A red-hot crowd of 15,724, a record for the Accor Arena, which generated a gate of $4.3m, were given plenty to cheer as a new single-show high nine KOs/TKOs occurred, while French MMA stars were more on-song than the cast of Les Mis as they went 5-0.

Oumar Sy got Les Bleus’ ball rolling with a first-round TKO of Brazil’s Brendson Ribeiro at light-heavyweight, before featherweight William Gomis, debutant welterweight Axel Sola and Benoit Saint-Denis, dominating touted lightweight star Mauricio Ruffy, set up a grandstand finish for Nassourdine Imavov in the main event.

Backed by a deafening crowd who were on their feet all night, ‘The Sniper’ claimed a definitive decision win over Brazilian middleweight Caio Borralho to put him on the verge of a title shot against new champion Khamzat Chimaev.

Asked if there will be more encores at the Accor, UFC executive VP David Shaw said: “I think we can count on an event in Paris at least every year.

This is one of the most energetic, loud, intense and passionate fanbases, or cities, that we go to anywhere in the world.

“I mean, from the second fight, the whole arena was full and they were chanting and singing. Every year it gets louder and louder and it felt like this year they reached a fever pitch.

“It’s pretty remarkable how engaged and how knowledgeable the fans are in Paris and across France.

“But it was no surprise for us and we are very honoured to have fans like we do in France.”

Ciryl Gane has led the way for French fighters in the UFC, making his debut in 2019, with ‘Bon Gamin’ set to face Tom Aspinall for the heavyweight crown at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi on October 25.

And with Imavov also a potential future champion, France, who only legalised MMA in 2020, could be in for some big pay-per-views in the near future.

On the potential of the ‘City of Light’ becoming the ‘City of Fight’, Shaw added:

“You know how (UFC president) Dana (White) operates. He wants to bring the best fights to the fans.

“But it’s not just about creating the right match-up at the right time in that city and having a middle-of-the-night pay-per-view event or numbered show.

“A lot of things need to fall into place… It takes a lot of work and in some cases it just won’t work. In Paris, it is possible. So, who knows?

“But if Imavov wins the belt, then you’re one step closer to that being a reality.”

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FINAL SAY: “It’s a shame for a man to grow old without witnessing the beauty and strength his body can achieve – Socrates.” Paul Craig quoting the Greek philosopher after the Scot, 37, announced his retirement after 21 UFC fights.