The heaviest favorite at UFC Paris on Saturday featherweight Morgan Charriere hoped to right the ship in his native France against Gabriel Miranda.
Charriere (19-10-1) at 28-years-old has a lot of professional MMA experience, but didn’t make his UFC debut until 2023. With a 1-1 record he came off a loss to Chepe Mariscal last April. Taking on Miranda at home gave him a chance to make things right in front of his crowd.
Miranda (17-6) is one of the quieter featherweights, but not one to take any light fights, having made his UFC debut against Benoit Saint Denis. He came off a win over Shane Young at UFC 293 he looked to make it two-in-a-row against Charriere.
The clinch game came into play early in Charriere vs. Miranda, with Charriere pushing Mirana up against the cage. Battles for head position, wrist control, and a potential takedown ensued before, after about two minutes, Miranda attempted to jump guard. Charriere remained standing and chose not to engage, but that saw the fight move back to center.
There, a bit of back-and-forth gave way to Miranda shooting for a takedown, only for Charriere to sprawl, stuff the attempt, and land his own takedown instead. Miranda however would scramble and take the back with about a minute left on the clock. Charriere was on his knees, Miranda on his back, but too high up, and the French fighter was able to escape back to his feet.
Following a bit of a grind in the opening round, Morgan Charriere brought about an abrupt, sudden end in round two. The pair had tied up on the feet when Miranda turned, out of position. He fired a sloppy back fist, but it was a Charriere right hand that connected clean, dropping Miranda. Charriere landed an extra ground strike or two to seal the deal, notching the second straight finish on the UFC Paris main card!
Official Result: Morgan Charriere def. Gabriel Miranda by KO (punch), Round 2, 0:27
