UFC Paris featured a deep crop of French fighters representing for their country. The crowd was present and loud as usual. One of those French stars was one half of the main event, Benoit Saint-Denis, who came out on the wrong end of second round stoppage at the hands of Renato Moicano. And in a pivotal middleweight co-main event, Brendan Allen was the loser in a would-be title eliminator. A couple of absolutely crushing defeats including some painful stoppages, as fighters from the card eye their next match ups.
Benoit Saint-Denis
Benoit Saint-Denis was thoroughly whooped via ground n’ pound sustaining tremendous damage before the octagon-side physician stopped the bout at the end of the second. Much to the dismay of the French crowd the hometown hero Benoit just could not get it done against #11 UFC lightweight, Renato Moicano.
Benoit Saint-Denis is now 5-3 in the UFC and has lost two in a row with Dustin Poirier stopping him earlier this year at UFC 299.
Benoit Saint-Denis should fight Jalin Turner in his next bout. Turner is ranked at #14 in the UFC’s lightweight division. Turner has lost three of his last four fights with his lone win coming against Bobby Green (while losing split decisions to Mateusz Gamrot and Dan Hooker). In his most recent fight, Renato Moicano rallied from behind to stop Turner in the second. This fight just makes sense.
Benoit’s next fight: Jalin Turner
Brendan Allen
Brendan Allen was shut down in the co-main event of UFC Paris by Nassourdine Imavov.
Allen entered the fight ranked at #8 in the middleweight division and jumped up to fight the #4 ranked Nassourdine Imavov. Well, it seemed like it in there as Allen was simply outclassed and it looked like it was not his night.
The loss snapped Allen’s 7-fight win streak that dated back to his December of 2021 second-round stoppage loss at the hands of Chris Curtis (a loss which he had just avenged in his most recent victory). This is truly a tough loss for Allen.
Marvin Vettori should be Allen’s next fight. Allen was matched up to fight Marvin Vettori back in April before Vettori withdrew from the bout. The pair’s scuffle earlier this year outside of the cage would also add to the appeal of this fight and Vettori is ranked at #6 at 185lbs.
Brendan’s next fight: Marvin Vettori
Joanderson Brito
Joanderson Brito came out on the wrong side of a split decision against France’s William Gomis. In what was a controversial decision, Brito now has his shiny five-fight, five-finish streak snapped by a loss that was well within striking distance.
Joanderson was supposed to fight Dan Ige in July before Ige stepped up on short notice to save a card. Needless to say, Brito might have to win a couple more fights before he’s within striking distance of the top 15 again. A truly bitter pill to swallow but a very common story.
Brito should get a solid name for his next fight. Sodiq Yusuff is on a two-fight skid and has slipped out of the rankings at featherweight. This would be an action-packed fight. Yusuff was last in action at UFC 300 earlier this year when Deigo Lopes took less than 90 seconds to stop him.
Joanderson’s next fight: Sodiq Yusuff
Kevin Jousset
Kevin Jousset was overwhelmed and melted by Carolina product Bryan Battle in the second round of their bout on Saturday. It was just Jousset’s third fight in the UFC after stopping Kiefer Crosbie in his debut and defeating Kenan Song back in December.
A disappointing showing at home, but Jousset should look to bounce back by fighting Preston Parsons. Preston is 2-3 in the UFC and coming off of a unanimous decision loss to Oban Elliot in July.
Kevin’s next fight: Preston Parsons
Gabriel Miranda
Gabriel Miranda was put away in a quick sequence during the second round of his bout with Morgan Charriere on Saturday at UFC Paris. Miranada is now 1-2 in the UFC, though the one loss is to Benoit Saint-Denis in his promotional debut.
Miranda should fight a guy that is also 1-2 in the UFC but also fought incredibly stiff competition. Miranda should take on Westin Wilson in his next fight. Wilson won his most recent bout against Jeka Saragih in June but was finished by Joanderson Brito and Jean Silva who fans now know are pretty tough. Should be the battle of the already tested “new guys.”
Gabriel’s next fight: Westin Wilson
Matt Frevola
Matt Frevloa was obliterated courtesy of a sneaky knee from his opponent, Fares Ziam, to start the main card of UFC Paris. To make matters worse, the stoppage came with just two minutes left in the fight left to go.
Frevola is now 5-5-1 in the UFC since winning on the 2017 season of the Contender Series. Matt has lost two of his last three fights. His lone win was against Drew Dober in May of last year. Frevola stopped the ultra-durable Dober in the first round and earned himself a performance bonus. Matt’s now been stopped twice since then, the other time courtesy of a head kick by Benoit Saint-Denis.
A good next fight for Frevola would be against Jared Gordon. Jared is 2-3, 1 NC in his last six fights. He has had a rough go. Gordon was last in the octagon back in June when he lost a controversial split decision to Nasrat Haqparast. Much like Frevola, Gordon is a very fun fighter with a great attitude, so it seems like the fight to make.
Matt’s next fight: Jared Gordon
