This year’s annual Paris September trip for the MMA leader was headlined by a pair of head-to-head matches between the Fighting Nerds and Nicolas Ott’s French protégés. Nassourdine Imavov was facing Caio Borralho in a possible middleweight title eliminator in the UFC Paris main event, while Benoit Saint Denis and Mauricio Ruffy were fighting for a chance to advance in the lightweight rankings. The card was nicely rounded out by some fun matchups. Before we jump forward to Noche UFC next weekend, let’s look at what’s next for Saturday’s winners.
Nassourdine Imavov
With the middleweight division booming, the UFC seemingly set up an unofficial tournament between the four main contenders to see whose performance would stand out of the pack. The first of those matchups was between Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho. While the Frenchman was in control the entire fight, it’s not like he put on the type of show that will raise his profile dramatically. Additionally, he mentioned a foot injury in his post-fight interview. Now, was that just an attempt at saving face for not getting even close to a finish or a genuine explanation for how the fight played out? I guess we won’t know, but with the way the fight looked combined with a potential injury, there are valid reasons to doubt Imavov’s chances at being the next title challenger.
However, Imavov was already the most deserving challenger when he knocked out Israel Adesanya in February. Add to that a clean victory over a rising Borralho who hadn’t lost in 10 years? As of right now, there’s no question he has earned his title shot.
Imavov’s next fight: Title shot
Benoit Saint Denis
After a rough 2024 capped off by a true ass-kicking in front of his own crowd, Saint Denis was looking to gain back some of that momentum he had back in 2023. He first bounced back in May (at UFC 315, beating Kyle Prepolec) and was now facing the highly touted Mauricio Ruffy. After dominating the opening round, BSD got the fight back down to the mat and found a rear-naked choke along the fence. Now winner of back-to-back fights, Saint Denis called out Arman Tsarukyan and Mateusz Gamrot for a fight at Madison Square Garden. While I think Tsarukyan is a long shot, Gamrot is a very smart and realistic callout. Enough so that I don’t mind at all fulfilling his wish.
Saint Denis’ next fight: Mateusz Gamrot
Modestas Bukauskas
After fighting his way back to the promotion, The Baltic Gladiator was looking to go 6-1 since joining the UFC again in 2023. There’s no doubt putting the veteran Paul Craig out with a buzzer-beating elbow is Bukauskas’ most important win to date. Now winner of four straight, he has built a case for a shot at the rankings. I think any of Johnny Walker, Zhang Mingyang and Alonzo Menifield are fine options, but I went with Nikita Krylov. On the wrong end of two straight knockout losses, Krylov needs a step back in competition and Bukauskas represents that type of test he needs at this moment in time.
Bukauskas’ next fight: Nikita Krylov
Mason Jones
After going 1-2 (1) in his first UFC stint, it’s easy to forget that at 30 years of age, Mason Jones is only now entering the prime of his career. He suffered losses to Mike Davis and Ludovit Klein as a 25 and 27-year-old and his sole win for over David Onama, a now top15-ranked featherweight. The Welsh fighter was now looking to add to his successful comeback in May against Jeremy Stephens. He overcame a scare in the first round and got the TKO finish in the second after getting to full mount. Why not put Jones up against another lightweight prospect on his second UFC stint? China’s Rongzhu is also on a two-fight win streak after going 1-2 in his first run. Let’s see which of the two can keep their streak going.
Jones’ next fight: Rongzhu
Axel Sola
The undefeated 27-year-old Sola was making his UFC debut as one of the bigger prospects on the French MMA scene. With a former Ares champion with four title defences facing a former two-time Cage Warriors champion, it was the Frenchman Sola who came out on top. After a back-and-forth in the first two rounds, Sola’s knockdown and follow up shots forced Herb Dean to step in despite the fact that McKee was working his way back up. Stoppage controversy aside, it was a successful debut for the prospect Sola. With the adversity McKee offered, there’s no reason to rush Sola up the queue. I think someone like the veteran Song Kenan would be an appropriate test for where Sola is at, right now.
Sola’s next fight: Song Kenan
William Gomis
After suffering his first UFC setback in March, the Frenchman Gomis was welcoming KSW champion Robert Ruchala. It looked like what we’ve come to expect from Gomis: a technical yet tepid decision. Getting the win is always the most important thing, but Gomis has yet to produce a signature highlight in the now three years since he joined the promotion. For that reason, I doubt he will be rewarded with a name any bigger than Ruchala’s. I think Andre Fili, who’s coming off a win from a month ago, is exactly the kind of name the UFC will be looking at.
Gomis’ next fight: Andre Fili
