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

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In the co-main event, ranked lightweights put on a violent battle that concluded with Mauricio Ruffy being submitted by Benoit Saint-Denis. No French fighters on this edition of losers as the countrymen completed the clean sweep. On the other side of that coin, we have a couple of names from the Brazilian Fighting Nerds fight camp gracing this loser’s edition. Lots of former regional champions too!

Caio Borralho

Nassourdine Imavov bested Caio Borralho over the course of five rounds to win a unanimous decision at UFC Paris on Saturday. This was a huge opportunity for Caio, as he entered the fight ranked at #7 within the middleweight division while Imavov was ranked at #2. The loss halted untold amounts of momentum for Borralho as the two-time Contender Series competitor was a perfect 7-0 under the UFC banner heading into the fight.

Because Caio was flawless heading into this matchup, it makes sense to give him a fighter like Israel Adesanya. Izzy is currently ranked at #5 in the division, but fans can expect that ranking to potentially slide in coming months. Israel’s last fight came in February and was also against Nassourdine Imavov. Israel was finished early in the second round of that bout. Caio and Israel also share a common opponent in Jared Cannonier and they both defeated him. This matchup is an easy main event for a fight night card although the timing doesn’t match up the best. Fans would love this fight as its guaranteed to be a striker’s delight.

Caio’s next fight: Israel Adesanya 

Mauricio Ruffy

Benoit Saint-Denis submitted Mauricio Ruffy with a nasty face crank in the second round of the co-main event on Saturday. Ruffy entered the fight ranked at #15 within the lightweight division while his opponent was ranked at #13. Ruffy, a 2023 Contender Series product, now falls to 3-1 within the UFC. This was Mauricio’s first loss in nearly six years, dating back to his days of fighting of the Brazilian regional circuit.

For his next fight, Ruffy should take on Brian Ortega. This matchup was mentioned in a previous edition of losers, and it still looks like it’d be a good match-up. The former featherweight title challenger missed weight and looked drained in his most recent fight against Aljamain Sterling last month. Ortega lost a unanimous decision; he’s lost four of his last five but is still ranked at #7 within the featherweight division.

If Ortega elects to move to 155lbs. permanently, this would be a perfect true welcome the division type of fight. A win would do some heavy lifting for both fighters. It’d also give Ruffy another chance to prove himself against an opponent with strong grappling. Dynamic striking vs submission-based grappling, a match made in heaven, for fight fans.  This could easily be a co main event on a fight night card.

Mauricio’s next fight: Brian Ortega

Paul Craig

Modestas Bukauskas delivered a violent buzzer-beater finish over Paul Craig at UFC Paris on Saturday. The massive elbow at the buzzer forced the ref to call off the fight- going down officially as a KO at 5:00 of the first round.

Craig, with the loss at UFC Paris, is now 9-10-1, 1 NC with the promotion in nine years. Paul is 0-4, 1 NC in his last five fights. Following the loss, Craig announced his retirement from professional MMA.

Paul’s next fight: Retirement 

Bolaji Oki

Mason Jones battered and stopped Bolaji Oki in the second round of their fight on Saturday at UFC Paris. The result brings Oki’s record with the UFC to .500, as he’s now 2-2. The 2023 Contender Series alum has been finished in both of his losses, while both of his victories were decisions. Oki made waves on the regional scene before that, winning the Atomic Fighting Championship before getting a call to the CS.

Good matchup for Bolaji would be Harry Hardwick. Harry just made his promotional debut on the undercard of UFC Paris on Saturday. Hardwick’s calf was brutalized by his opponent, Kaue Fernandes, as he was TKO’d in the first round. Harry was a Cage Warriors featherweight champion, last defending his belt in March. This would be a matchup of unproven European regional champions. Both fighters are in their primes and have had success on the regional level but have been stopped in the UFC. Who can come out on top? Could see this one as a higher-level fight on a preliminary card.

Bolaji’s next fight: Harry Hardwick

Rhys McKee

Axel Sola made the most of his UFC debut and finished Rhys McKee with strikes in the final round of their fight on Saturday. Mckee is now the owner of the abysmal promotional record of 1-5.

McKee made his promotional debut back in 2020 against Khamzat Chimaev, and after another loss he was bounced from the promotion. Fast forward a couple years and the Khamzat loss aged beautifully. McKee is brought back for a second stint. Rhys is now 1-3 said second stint. The former Cage Warriors welterweight champion’s lone victory with the UFC came earlier this year in April against Daniel Frunza.

McKee’s next fight should either be against Andreas Gustafsson or the loser of Rodrigo Sezinando vs Daniil Donchenko. The Sezinando vs Donchenko fight takes place on September 13th. The timing would be perfect, and both men are making their UFC debuts. Both fighters have also held titles on the regional scene (Doncheko-NFC, Sezinando-BFL).  Leaning towards giving him the loser of that bout, but if that doesn’t materialize, Andreas Gustafsson is a good backup. Gustafsson was finished in 54 seconds on the undercard of UFC Paris Saturday. The 2024 Contender Series product is now 1-1 with the UFC and would make a fine matchup for Rhys as well. Loser has got to be on the short list to be cut.

McKee’s next fight: Andreas Gustafsson or Rodrigo Sezinando vs Daniil Donchenko loser

Robert Ruchala

William Gomis defeated Robert Ruchala via unanimous decision to open the main card of UFC Paris Saturday. The bout was Robert’s UFC debut coming over from Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW). Robert was even a multiple time interim champ with KSW. With that context, fans might better understand why UFC matchmakers elected to Robert such a tall task for his promotional debut.

Next fight for Robert should be against the loser of Jack Jenkins vs Ramon Taveras. That fight goes down on September 27th, so the timing would match up. Jack Jenkins is 3-2 in the UFC but has lost two of his last three. His only win in that stretch came against Herbert Burns, who is no longer with the promotion. Ramon Taveras is 1-1 with the promotion but is coming up from bantamweight after missing weight in his debut. Both fighters are Contender Series guys that have double digit victories in their pro MMA careers. Loser of this bout would be an excellent litmus test for Robert after he took a fighter like William Gomis to a decision in his debut. A matchup against either fighter should be entertaining and could produce the type of fighter that fans love to watch.

Robert’s next fight: Jack Jenkins vs Ramon Taveras loser

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In the end, forgoing a Fight of the Night, the promotion opted to award four Performance of the Night bonuses following Saturday’s Fight Night event at the Accor Arena in Paris, France.

Among the winners, incoming heavyweight Ante Delija, a former PFL champion who the UFC had first attempted to sign years ago. The Croatian made his debut opposite Marcin Tybura, a tried and battle-tested Polish big man who has consistently hung with some of the best in the division. He didn’t hang with Delija for long, however, with the knockout finish coming just past two minutes into the opening round.

Co-headliner Benoit Saint-Denis, meanwhile, submitted Fighting Nerd Mauricio Ruffy in the co-main event to secure his own $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus at UFC Paris. “BSD” was dominant with his wrestling and cruising to victory regardless when he sunk in a rear-naked choke in the second round. It was a rough night for Brazil’s Fighting Nerds, as Ruffy’s teammate Caio Borralho was soundly defeated in his main event fight opposite Nassourdine Imavov.

The remaining two Performance bonuses at UFC Paris were awarded to Mason Jones, for a TKO finish of Bolaji Oki, and Kaue Fernandes, who chopped down newcomer and ex-Cage Warriors champ Harry Hardwick with leg kicks. Only two fights went the distance on the night, with all seven fights on the prelims and four more on the main card ending early.

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Imavov, to some, had already done enough to warrant a title shot. Borralho, ranked slightly back on the French 185’er, was looking to jump into his spot, all with Reinier de Ridder vs. Anthony Hernandez winning. Almost certainly, the winner of either Imavov vs. Borralho or de Ridder vs. Hernandez was set to be next in line.

Borralho opened with a high kick as the action got underway, working from the outside. Imavov methodically moved forward, blocking another high kick, and firing his right hand. Imavov fired a kick to the thigh, but neither fighter committed on anything big through the opening 90 seconds. Imavov, of course, had to be wary of the takedown.

When Borralho did change levels, Imavov caught him in a headlock; they’d eventually separate, and go back to something of a chess match.

Not a ton if significant strikes from either man in round one. Round two saw Borralho continue to mix up his kicking attacks, before closing the distance with some looping hooks. Imavov remained light on his feet, holding center and fending off the Brazilian’s attacks. Again, when Borralho changed levels looking for a takedown, it wasn’t the most explosive, with Imavov stuffing the attempt. Quite easily at that. The striking opened up after that, Borralho soon showing some damage around the face.

Early in the third, Imavov clipped Borralho coming in, leaving him reeling. The pair clinched up briefly, but stayed standing, no doubt to the advantage of Nassourdine Imavov. Borralho then signaled that he’d been hit low, leading to the ref, Marc Goddard, halting the action. That gave Caio a chance to recover, and once the action resumed, it was Borralho connecting with a left hand. Imavov stumbled a step, but didn’t go down. And moments later, an eye poke landed by Imavov halted the action again.

Following a warning, the pair clinched up; after breaking, Imavov landed at least two or three punches in a combination. There was an argument the fight was 30-27 heading into round four; at best, Borralho might have stolen the third, unlikely as it might seem.

Borralho came out a little more active in round four, mixing up his strikes. Imavov, however, was right there with an answer, his right hand crisp. Just over a minute in, Borralho was grazed by a low blow but chose to fight on without any recovery time. A takedown attempt came closer for Borralho later in the round, but he just couldn’t complete it. Worse, the Brazilian was clearly tiring, while Imavov still looked fresh. Imavov’s punches were crisper, his speed a step quicker.

Round fifth had Caio Borralho in need of a finish in a fight he had been trailing in almost from the outset. But Imavov hadn’t slowed. A couple of minutes in, Borralho managed to land solid, backing Imavov up. Imavov returned fire, and connected with a low kick. His right hand hit the mark again. Borralho was in need of a knockout blow, or a submission. Instead, another eye poke landed on Borralho, halting the action. A hard warning followed but no point deduction. That was no help to Borralho, given how far behind he was trailing. They’d fight to the horn, but no takedown would come, no finish was to be had for the Brazilian. Imavov came on strong at the end, en route to a lopsided victory.

Official Result: Nassourdine Imavov def. Caio Borralo by unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46)

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BSD had snapped a two-fight skid in May when he defeated short-notice replacement Kyle Prepolec, while Ruffy had been on a tear since entering the UFC. Undefeated through three fights with the company and on a seven-fight win streak overall.

It was inside of a minute when Benoit Saint-Denis got the fight down, getting on top of Ruffy. It wouldn’t last, as Ruffy was able to make it back to his feet. Yet BSD was back on him against the fence, punching his way in, getting the fight down once again. Ruffy turned, but wound up on his back again, allowing Saint-Denis to set up an arm-triangle. He didn’t have it, and they’d end up on the feet again, where a foul briefly halted the action. They’d close out the round trading, in a strong start for the French star.

Round two saw BSD on his back inside of a minute, but Ruffy let him back up. Perhaps a mistake, as when they went down again, it was Saint-Denis on the back of the Brazilian. He got an arm under the chin, and while it didn’t seem like it was in tight, with a bit of adjustment, Ruffy was stuck. No place to go, unable to fight the choke, he was forced to tap, giving Benoit Saint-Denis a huge win at home.

Official Result: Benoit Saint-Denis def. Mauricio Ruffy by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 2:56

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Craig (17-9-1) was on a 3-fight losing streak before some of the most unique fight circumstances paved his way to Paris. A fight with Rodolfo Bellato did not materialize in May due to the Brazilian dealing with a health issue.

The fight was rebooked for June, but it ended in a no contest due to an illegal, albeit accidental, up kick from Craig hurt Bellato. Bellato was seemingly knocked out by the illegal shot at the octagon doctor said he couldn’t continue.

Craig must now save his roster spot against a very tough Bukauskas in Paris.

Bukauskas (18-6) comes in on a 3-fight win streak with victories over Marcin Prachnio, Raffael Cerqueria and Ion Cutelaba. The 205er is making the best of his second run in the UFC as he inches closer to a ranking.

Round 1 – Craig employed a kick to the lead leg early on to try and keep Bukauskas at bay. It didn’t do much with Bukauskas rushing him repeatedly with flurries and landing. He’d then clinch Craig on the fence and land in close before bailing out and getting back to striking.

Near the end of the round he ran in on a flurry and landed shots on Craig. Craig looked for a takedown, but couldn’t get it. Craig jumped for a sub, ended up on his back, and Bukauskas went off with ground and pound.

A last second elbow put Craig out and the fight was called.

Bukauskas asked for a shot at the top 15 and Craig retired following the bout.

Official Result: Modestas Bukauskas def. Paul Craig via R1 KO, 5:00

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Oki (10-2) comes into the fight off a decision victory over Michael Aswell in May. The DWCS contract winner is 2-1 in the UFC with his sole loss at the hands of Chris Duncan.

Jones (16-2) continues a wild 5-fight win streak coming into this one. After leaving the UFC in 2022 he put together 4 victories in Cage Warriors, three of those finishes, before returning to beat Jeremy Stephens in May.

Round 1 Oki came out on fire landing big shots on Jones before dropping him an then going off looking for the finish. Jones was able to survive getting dropped twice. Oki clearly spent a lot of energy in the flurry and Jones knew it. He dropped Oki, landed on top dropping big shots, before Oki got back to his feet. Then he took Oki down and controlled the position or the rest of the round.

Round 2 Jones came out on calculated and consistent with the pace putting it on Oki. Oki clearly slowed from the first round effort got dominated for as long as the round lasted. Jones took him down, took mount, and landed an assault of elbows before the ref stopped the fight saving Oki.

Big time win for Mason Jones.

Official Result: Mason Jones def. Bolaji Oki via R2 TKO, 3:18

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McKee was on his second stint in the promotion but had struggled in both stints, with just one win in five fights.

Round one opened with a head kick from Sola, but it was going to take more than that to trouble McKee. Sola was sharper out of the gate, landing a quick straight left, while McKee, when he finally let his hands go, carried more power behind his shots. Sola’s speed showed in a slick level change into a takedown, but McKee’s size advantage allowed him to bounce right back up. Against the fence, Sola tried tripping him back down, but it seemed like wasted energy. McKee stayed composed, dealing the heavier damage even while defending his back. Eventually, he turned into Sola and reset, but there wasn’t much time left for either man to capitalize.

In round two, Sola came out firing with quick, sharp punches. McKee’s presence was a problem though, with every strike carrying more weight. Sola was forced to dart in and out, landing his shots before McKee could find him. Sola connected nicely with a right hook over the top, slipping away afterward. McKee began loading up on his punches, giving Sola chances to read and defend. As the round wound down, McKee pressed forward aggressively, while Sola dug to the body with slick hooks and kept his head movement sharp.

The final round saw McKee come out aggressive again, letting his hands fly as he tried to trap Sola. But Sola’s defense was on point, moving laterally and slipping off the centerline. A head kick from Sola landed clean, followed by a vicious left hook to the body. Moments later, another body shot (this time an uppercut) dropped McKee. Sola pounced with follow-up punches, forcing Herb Dean to step in for the stoppage, perhaps a touch early.

Official Result: Axel Sola def. Rhys McKee by TKO (punches), Round 3, 2:02

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The Polish star was one of four big debuts on the night, and would have been one of five had Losene Keita not missed weight.

Gomis opened the fight with a heavy kickboxing approach, firing off body kicks and long strikes. Ruchala responded in kind, throwing his own kicks and charging forward with volume. Gomis’s footwork allowed him to slip most of the early blitzes, but when Ruchala closed distance, he secured a clean body-lock takedown. The control was short-lived, as Gomis quickly scrambled back to his feet. With his back on the cage, Gomis absorbed some pressure before breaking free and digging in a sharp kick to the body. In the closing minute, Gomis kept targeting the midsection with kicks, building momentum as the round ended.

Round two began with both fighters trading kicks immediately. Gomis found openings with body shots, while Ruchala kept looking for takedowns to drag the fight into close quarters. At one point, Gomis caught a kick and countered with a crisp right hand. Ruchala stayed committed to the grind, muscling Gomis to the fence and eventually hitting a trip to put him on his back. From top position, Ruchala worked with heavy head pressure and short punches to the ribs, but Gomis stayed composed and scooted to the cage, working back to his feet before the horn. Just before the bell, Gomis unleashed a spinning body kick and even fired high with a head kick attempt.

In the final round, Gomis went back to his long-range weapons including jabs, teeps, and low kicks, though nothing landed clean early. He mixed targets well, forcing Ruchala to wade through damage to get inside. Ruchala continued to hunt the body with naked back kicks and clinch entries, but Gomis countered with leg kicks and straight shots whenever he reset at range. Midway through, Ruchala surprised him with a head kick that wrapped around the guard and landed flush, giving him a surge of momentum. Gomis answered back instantly, snapping a left hand that visibly stunned Ruchala. Smelling the moment, Gomis shot in himself, scoring a takedown to seal the fight.

The scorecards had it in favor of Gomis, giving him a unanimous decision win.

Official Result: William Gomis def. Robert Ruchala by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

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Sy (11-1) is making the quick turnaround after dropping a fight to Alonzo Menifield in June. The loss was the first of his professional career and snapped a two-fight UFC win streak.

Ribeiro (17-8) had his own win streak snapped by Azmat Murzakanov who finished him at UFC 316 in June. The loss dropped him to 2-3 in the UFC so a victory in Paris is much needed by the Brazilian.

Round 1 – The roof blew off the place during the walkout and it did not stop when the fight started as they supported their hometown fighter in Sy. Sy landed a couple leg kicks before landing a right hand, and shooting and scoring a takedown pretty quick.

The crowd began so sing to Sy. Incredible environment.

Ribeiro tried to get his hips into play and change the position, but Sy was wise to it and kept him in place. Sy did really well to keep the position and land some damage from top. Ribeiro grabbed a kimura he used to get back to the feet.

Sy got him right back down, and landing shots on Ribeiro. Ribeiro went belly down and gave the back up to avoid punches, but then Sy began landing from behind and that was the fight.

Oumar Sy scores a massive win at home.

Official Result: Oumar Sy def. Brendson Ribeiro via R1 TKO, 4:42

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