The UFC is making history in France this weekend with UFC Paris, its first-ever card in the country. The event is headlined by France’s own Ciryl Gane taking on Tai Tuivasa in a pivotal heavyweight fight. There are also altogether five fighters from France on the card and seven fighters making their UFC debut. Two of those debuts are fighting each other in France’s own William Gomis and Dutch fighter Jarno Errens.
William “Jaguar” Gomis
Standing at 6’0″
Fighting at 145 lbs (featherweight)
25-years-old
Fighting out of Paris, France
Training out of MMA Factory
A pro record of 10-2
6 KO/TKOs, 1 Submission
How will Gomis fare in the UFC:
William Gomis is a really good fighter. His only two losses are to Morgan Charriere and Salahdine Parnasse and Gomis fought them early in his career. His biggest win is Tobias Harila but his last four opponents have a combined record of 33-10. Gomis has won his last eight since losing to Charriere in 2016.
Gomis is good on the feet pressing forward and going backwards. He’s such a tough puzzle to figure out when pressing him back. His lateral movement is excellent and his counter ability is on the money. He’s hard to hit especially if you’re coming in on straight lines and limited footwork. Gomis throws a lot of good quick kicks and his hands compliment his offensive output. He does a fine job of always staying busy attacking in different patterns and being diverse in his shot placement. Gomis does a great job at picking his shots and staying technically sound.
Even though his wrestling isn’t all that great Gomis will mix it up shooting on the legs. His grappling is a work in progress but is good enough to compete at a mid-level at least. Gomis is primarily a striker but it’s good to see him adapt his game and expand his skill set. I’m pretty high on Gomis as I believe his ceiling is quite high.
How will Errens fare in the UFC:
It’s good to get another Dutch fighter in the UFC and Errens is a fun addition. Like most Dutch fighters Errens has a kickboxing background but also has a judo background as well. Errens has lost three fights but the losses are to good fighters. In his last four fights, he’s gone 2-1-1.
Errens is solely a striker. He’s offensively good on the mat but with too many deficiencies there, on the feet is where he wants to be. Errens is a solid striker that uses a lot of feints and angles. He does a good job mixing in kicks putting punches in front of kicks and vice versa. He keeps his output high and is always throwing a bit of everything. Errens can get a bit stationary with his head movement and doesn’t wear damage well. He doesn’t mind getting hit cause he’s confident with his striking ability to get the edge.
What’s going to hold Errens back is his takedown defense. Errens has about zero takedown defense, apparently having no sense of balance. What’s even more of a problem is once Errens gets taken down. Usually, when taken down he isn’t getting back up. Errens does decently at shifting his hips but struggles badly to get out from underneath his opponent.
I like Errens but poor takedown defense will only take him so far. He will get some wins here and there and I do think he will be a part of some good exciting fights. I do like the signing from an entertainment standpoint.
