Fares Ziam has done just about everything a fighter can do to earn the love of his home country, except apparently spend enough time on social media.
As the French lightweight prepares to face fellow countryman Axel Sola at UFC Paris, Ziam finds himself in a strange spot, fighting at home, winning inside the cage, yet still searching for the level of recognition he believes his performances deserve.
“After I was not playing the game of social networks, I wasn’t really into it, even the interviews and all that,” Ziam told reporters on Wednesday.
“I have the impression that it is mostly this aspect. Then after I was top 15 too.”
There’s no bad blood between Ziam and Sola, but that doesn’t mean either man plans on giving the other an inch in Paris. Ziam sees a hungry opponent standing across from him, and with both men fighting on home soil, there should be no shortage of support in the building.
“He is a good opponent, a very good opponent. We are both the same category, we are both hungry. I don’t know if there will be more recognition or not. I still have a lot of support,” he said.
Ziam knows the fight game has changed, and throwing hands inside the cage isn’t the only way to get people’s attention anymore. These days, fighters are expected to perform on fight night while also playing the social media game, but Ziam isn’t about to confuse which one actually matters most.
“A fighter today must be a bit hybrid. He must be a performer. Move away, but also must be on social networks because it can give him good visibility for sponsors or a little more recognition,” said Ziam.
“It’s also a bad thing because it’s not the priority. The priority is to perform and this is where you have to use social networks.”
Ziam already has his sights set on what comes next, but don’t expect him to start tossing names around if he gets his hand raised at UFC Paris. Instead, the French lightweight has something much more specific in mind for his post-fight callout.
“The call out?” asked Ziam.
“It will be a date, it won’t be a guy.”
