UFC Paris: Imavov vs Borralho - Sep 6 ??

[wandshogun09]

Bonjour! I’ve left it late but this one’s just days away now…

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Nassourdine Imavov vs Caio Borralho 

Benoit Saint Denis vs Mauricio Ruffy 

Modestas Bukauskas vs Paul Craig 

Bolaji Oki vs Mason Jones

Axel Sola vs Rhys McKee

William Gomis vs Robert Ruchala  

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Oumar Sy vs Brendson Ribeiro 

Marcin Tybura vs Ante Delija

Kaue Fernandes vs Harry Hardwick

Sam Patterson vs Trey Waters 

Brad Tavares vs Robert Bryczek 

Rinat Fakhretdinov vs Andreas Gustafsson 

Shauna Bannon vs Sam Hughes 

 

I really like this. Honestly think that’s one of the strongest Fight Nights we’ve had in a long time top to bottom. Only a couple of fights I have no interest in, there’s one or two potential bangers there and a bunch of debuts that I’ve got my eye on. Good stuff. And being in France, a nice early start time for us! ***5pm prelims, 8pm main card*** for this bastard. Get in.

 

 

Nassourdine Imavov vs Caio Borralho headlines. A big fight in the Middleweight division that could possibly determine the number one contender for new champ Khamzat Chimaev’s title. Imavov is currently ranked #2, Borralho sits at #7. They’re right there. But it’s not a guarantee. Dana was asked recently and he wouldn’t fully commit. He just said “we’ll see” and also mentioned the upcoming De Ridder vs Fluffy fight as being pivotal in the title race. So basically we’ve got a mini tournament on our hands here to decide the next challenger at 185. I think they’ll probably just hold fire and whoever wins more impressively out of those two fights is gonna get the shot.

A homecoming for Imavov here. He’s Dagestan born but French by nationality, 30 years old with a record of 16-4-0-1 with 11 wins inside the distance. He’s on a four fight streak with wins over the likes of Edmen Shahbazyan, Joaquin Buckley, Roman Dolidze, Jared Cannonier and Brendan Allen along the way. Some solid wins in there but a couple of them were absolute stinkers to watch and his performances weren’t always the most convincing. I was pretty negative on Imavov for the longest time and I’m still not sure just how good he really is. But fair’s fair, he’s got himself in this position now on merit. His knockout win over Israel Adesanya on the Saudi card back in February firmly established him as a player in the 185 ranks.

Even with Izzy fading, I was pretty sure going into that fight that he wouldn’t have much bother with Imavov. I saw it as nothing more than a stopgap fight for Adesanya and his way to get back in the win column so they could build him up for one last crack at the gold. To me, all roads were probably heading towards a Khamzat vs Adesanya title fight at the end of this year. I saw that as a terrible fight for Izzy and most likely his last hurrah, but it would’ve been a big one for the UFC to throw on that December card or something so it was probably gonna happen. Wrong. Imavov had other ideas and walloped him. Not too sure how much stock to put into that win because I do think it’s clear Adesanya’s lost a step or two at this stage. I still don’t believe a prime Adesanya loses to Imavov but whatever. MMA is all about timing and Imavov got him at the perfect time to score the biggest win of his career to date.

Brazil’s Caio Borralho is 32 years old and he’s 17-1-0-1 with 9 finishes and his only loss was his second pro fight all the way back in July 2015. So he hasn’t tasted defeat in a decade and he’s on a 17 fight unbeaten run. He didn’t get off to the most impressive start in the UFC. He came in off DWCS in 2022 and his debut ended on an illegal knee. Not ideal. After that he notched so-so but uninspiring wins over Armen Petrosyan, Makhmud Muradov, Michal Oleksiejczuk and Abus Magomedov before finally looking like a bit of a force in his KO win over Paul Craig in May last year. But even then, it’s not like Craig’s been in top form himself of late and he’d always been arse in the striking. Borralho’s breakthrough win came in August last year when he beat Jared Cannonier in their Apex headliner. He won on points but I remember feeling like it absolutely could’ve been stopped at at least one point when he had Cannonier badly hurt. I remember that being a really good fight actually and Borralho finally looked like he might live up to the potential many thought he had coming off DWCS a couple of years earlier. Problem is he hasn’t fought since. It’s been a whole year now so he finally got that truly impressive win, but now he’s let any momentum he had from that basically just evaporate.

That’s your main event then. I like it. I was down on Middleweight for so long but I must admit the division seems to have turned a corner and it’s more interesting than it’s been in a long time for me now. I think it got really stagnant during Adesanya’s title reign and his defences at the end weren’t great to watch. Then fucking Strickland won the thing and that was a serious low point for the sport as a whole for me, not just 185. Ever since DDP ripped that belt off him though, I don’t know, it’s been quite fun. Now you’ve got these two, who I’m not massively convinced by but at least they’re fresh faces in the title race, then you’ve got De Ridder who’s been awesome, Fluffy Hernandez who’s been fun to watch, Whittaker’s still about and of course Khamzat as champ. 185 is hot at the moment. As for this fight specifically, I don’t really know what to expect. Borralho being inactive for a year hasn’t been the best but if he wins this fight he’s right back on track. And if Imavov can follow that Adesanya KO with another win here, ending Borralho’s streak, he’s gonna be hard to deny unless De Ridder vs Fluffy ends spectacularly. And of course it doesn’t hurt that this is gonna be in front of actual fans in Paris. The French crowds are usually really lively and I expect no different here, especially with Imavov in a title eliminator on top.

 

Benoit Saint Denis vs Mauricio Ruffy is co-main and ***WAND’S ONE TO WATCH*** on this card. Really stands out as the likely show stealer for me this. Not sure if it’s 3 rounds or 5. Seems proper random now whether they make co-mains 5 rounds. But regardless, this should be a scrap and a half for however long it lasts. Can’t really go wrong. Both have their strengths, both have their faults. But I don’t think the ingredients for a dud exist here. It’s either gonna be a highlight reel finish either way, or it turns into a wild, bloody dogfight. And again, the French crowd is gonna be well into it and invested in the result which always adds to the atmosphere and enjoyment of a fight.

Saint Denis is still rebuilding from a rough as fuck 2024. He’d had a great 2023 and was riding high coming into 2024, to the point that when he was booked against Dustin Poirier at UFC 299 in the March, the majority of fans and media seemed to be favouring him to beat Poirier. That’s kind of been retconned now but I clearly remember that being the overall vibe going in. You had this new, young, aggressive finisher against an older, battleworn legend and the feeling seemed to be that Benoit was gonna chin him. I remember Rogan going balls deep on his podcast at the time, bigging up Saint Denis as this unstoppable killer and basically suggesting Poirier was fucked. Obviously it didn’t play out that way and Dustin weathered the storm and decked him. Saint Denis then followed that up by getting absolutely butchered by Renato Moicano on last year’s Paris show, and was ended via doctor stoppage.

Just a brutal year for him and completely derailed his hype and momentum. He was supposed to fight Joel Alvarez at UFC 315 in Montreal back in May but Alvarez dropped out injured. In hindsight that was probably for the best. Not saying he couldn’t have beaten Alvarez, I’m not sure how that one would’ve gone. But it probably would’ve been another war and that was the last thing Benoit needed really at that point. Alvarez withdrew and was replaced by Kyle Prepolec on just a few days notice. Benoit won by submission in the second round. Just what he probably needed as a bit of a confidence booster, to be fair. He’s still only 29, he’s far from on the scrap heap. But I’m not sure he’s ever gonna go much further. As fun as he is to watch, he’s so attack-minded that his defence is often found lacking. Even in the Prepolec fight there were moments but he got away with it. Now he’s straight back in the fire…

Mauricio Ruffy was one of the breakout new fighters of 2024. He’s also 29 years old, 13-1 with 11 knockouts and he’s on a 7 fight win streak. A member of the Fighting Nerds team who are on a roll at the moment. Ruffy got a stoppage win on DWCS in late 2023 and then entered the UFC and styled on Jamie Mullarkey in his Octagon debut in a performance that was widely compared to Conor McGregor’s debut against Marcus Brimage back in 2013. He looked smooth and put Mullarkey away with ease but Mullarkey defends punches with his face so was kind of tailor made for him. He was little more than a sparring dummy so it was a nice little showcase for Ruffy but nothing more. Ruffy then beat up James Llontop on the MSG card in November en route to a points win. He looked good again but was a bit too showboaty at times for me. In Ruffy’s last fight at UFC 313 in March though, Christ, he almost beheaded King Green with a helicopter propeller of a spinning wheel kick…

Gotta be a shoe-in Knockout Of The Year contender right there. Incredible finish. I don’t think any spinning kick KO is ever gonna top Barboza vs Etim for me, just because that was the first of its kind in UFC history and the way Etim fell like a tree is etched in my memory forever. But a spinning wheel kick KO is such a cool finish that it’s automatically a Knockout Of The Year candidate by default isn’t it. Never fails to make you jump up out of your chair. Ruffy looks a handful. I don’t have a clue where his ceiling is but that’s what I love about this matchup because in theory it should provide us with some answers. Unless Ruffy goes out there and just wipes him out in 30 seconds or something, it’s a step up and he should be asked some questions here. Saint Denis only seems to know one way to fight. It’s been to his detriment at times but he’s so aggressive and he is dangerous so I’m not sure Ruffy is gonna be pissing about as much in this one. We haven’t seen any of Ruffy’s grappling yet either so maybe BSD can test him there? Should be a banger.

 

Modestas Bukauskas vs Paul Craig is whatever really. I like Craig as a personality, seems a good guy, but I’m long past the point where I give much of a bollocks about his actual fights. Just too one-dimensional and at nearly 38 years old and almost 30 fights deep into his career, he’s too long in the tooth now to expect him to make significant changes or add to his game. His skillset is what it is at this point. Good grappler but not much of a takedown threat, and dogshit striking. Everyone’s got the playbook on him now as well. So even those last second Hail Mary, Big Nog style come from behind submissions like the one he pulled off against Anakalev years ago, nobody gets caught in those traps anymore. He’s really floundering now. He’s gone 1-5-0-1 in his last seven fights and he hasn’t just been losing, he’s looked awful in those losses as well. Bukauskas should do him at this stage. He’s not amazing himself but he’s the younger man at 31, he’s on a three fight winning streak and, most importantly, he’s got some pop in his punches and can finish on the feet. Feels like the matchmakers are pushing Craig out the door with this one but we’ll see.

 

Bolaji Oki vs Mason Jones could be a lot of fun. Nice to see Jones on a European show and on the main card here. He’s fully back in the fold now, ready to make a proper go of his second UFC stint. The first one from 2021-22 didn’t really pan out but he went away and rattled off four straight wins in Cage Warriors before returning to the UFC in May and beating Jeremy Stephens in Stephens’ backyard in Des Moines, Iowa. Was a good fight and a very solid showing from Jones. Arguably his best win yet considering Stephens actually had some momentum coming off some strong wins in BKFC. I don’t see Jones troubling the rankings, he’s in a tough division to gain traction in at Lightweight. But at 30 years old now, I do feel like he’s probably better equipped and more UFC ready now than he was the first time around. Oki’s Belgian, 29 years old and 10-2 with six finishes. He came into the UFC with a decent amount of buzz from what I remember, seem to recall he had an impressive performance on DWCS which got people talking. But he’s had mixed results in the UFC. He’s gone 2-1 so far. Got subbed by Chris Duncan on the last Paris card but bounced back with a decision win over some fucker called Michael Aswell on one of the Apex cards I skipped in May apparently.

 

Axel Sola vs Rhys McKee is a fight I don’t have a clue on but I’m kind of intrigued again because it’s another debut that might be worth taking notice of. Admittedly, I’ve never even heard of Sola but looking him up, he’s 27 years old, undefeated at 10-0-1 with 6 finishes and he’s the Ares Lightweight champion.

This fight is at 170 though. I’m guessing that’s just because this one got thrown together on pretty short notice. Apparently McKee was already fully in camp but had two opponents (Islam Dulatov and Carlston Harris) pull out. Sola’s stepped in late in the day so I’m assuming he’ll be back at 155 after this. McKee finally got that first UFC win that’s been eluding him last time out in April. It took him two stints in the UFC and some rough losses but he got it done finally, smashing Daniel Frunza’s teeth in the process.

 

William Gomis vs Robert Ruchala is kind of interesting. And I don’t often say that about Gomis fights because in general he’s an absolute dullard. In fairness to him, his last fight against Hyder Amil was actually fun but I’m mostly crediting Amil for that. Gomis had been very frustrating to watch before that. He lost that Amil fight via split decision but his little win ‘streak’ before that might’ve been the shittest ever. Dodgy decisions, a low blow somehow being ruled a TKO, snoozers. Just wank. It’s says a lot that he’s French and the crowd in Paris actually booed when he got the decision over Joanderson Brito last year.

Ruchala’s UFC debut has piqued my interest though. He’s Polish, 27 years old, has a record of 11-1 with six finishes and the only loss was against Salahdine Parnasse, who’s one of the best fighters outside the UFC right now and Ruchala went to the fourth round with him before being stopped. Ruchala was KSW Featherweight champion at the time of his UFC signing. Along with Keita, Ruchala sounds like another solid addition to the 145 division. Hopefully he can drag something watchable out of Gomis here and ideally has a successful UFC debut. The more new blood quality fighters on the roster the better.

 

Oumar Sy vs Brendson Ribeiro feels very much like a matchup designed purely to get Sy back on track. He’s French, 29 years old and went 10-0 before dropping a decision to Alonzo Menifield on the Atlanta card in June. He’d been looking like a decent prospect for a while but there were some warning signs in a couple of his previous fights and then losing to mediocre Menifield in what I remember being a bit of a dud completely derailed him. Ribeiro isn’t very good at all though. He has a 17-8-1 record, has gone 2-3 in the UFC and coming off a first round TKO loss. Make no mistake, the matchmakers have put this together in the hopes of building Sy back up in front of the home crowd in France. He really should win as well. My expectations or hopes for Sy aren’t as high as they once were but he should be better than this.

 

Marcin Tybura vs Ante Delija 2 then. The rematch. I’ll be honest, I had zero clue these two had crossed paths before until looking up Delija’s record just now. They fought all the way back in September 2015 on a M-1 Challenge card in Russia, and Tybura won in about two minutes due to a leg injury apparently.

Yep ? The old Silva-Weidman special. Vile. Now they’re running it back a whole decade (to the month!) later in the UFC. Delija’s Croatian, 35 years old now, record of 25-6 with 18 finishes. He’s a bit of an interesting one actually. He was supposed to make his UFC debut back in 2020 against Ciryl Gane but there was some weird shit going on and it got scrapped when it turned out he still had an active PFL contract. Nothing amazing on his record but there are a few names that jump out. He beat Ricco Rodriguez of all people in 2012, beat Valentijn Overeem in 2014, stopped Renan Ferreira (that massive bastard Ngannou squashed in PFL last year) in a round in 2022. He’s knocked around a bit. Oh and he keeps some good company…

Playing chess with fellow Croatian Big Mirko! Checked flag, checkmate. Not sure what to expect here. Tybura’s gonna be 40 in November, he’s 27-9 and just coasting really. Slowly plodding into retirement. He’s had some decent wins over the years but he’s not much fun to watch these days. Never was known as a particularly exciting fighter but he’s surely on the last leg of his career at this point. In fairness though he’s still getting wins. He just handed Mick Parkin the first loss of his career on the London card in March. He’s never beating top guys but he’s not a cakewalk at this kind of level.

 

Kaue Fernandes vs Harry Hardwick is a last minute card change. Fernandes was all set to face Fares Ziam on this card but Ziam withdrew a few days out due to his Nan dying. In steps Harry Hardwick on just five days notice.

Been hearing about the Hardwick brothers for a while now. Harry and his brother George have been doing their thing in Cage Warriors, both becoming champions in their respective divisions. Harry ‘Houdini’ became Featherweight champ in May 2024 and has defended in twice since. He’s 30 years old, 13-3-1 with 7 finishes and he’s on a 9 fight unbeaten streak. Hasn’t lost since 2020. Really solid replacement. He’s one of those fighters who almost certainly would’ve ended up in the UFC sooner or later anyway. The way he’s coming in isn’t ideal but I’m guessing he was already in the gym regularly when the call came, because his brother has a fight coming up this month, he was probably in camp helping him. Not that familiar with Fernandes although I’ve definitely seen him a few times. He’s also 30, he’s 10-2 and he’s coming off his best win yet over Guram Kutateladze on the London card in March.

 

Sam Patterson vs Trey Waters is alright as a making up the numbers prelim. Not expecting much really but neither have bored me yet from what I’ve seen. Patterson’s 29 years old and 13-2-1 with 12 finishes. He might just be the least talked about UK fighter on the roster and I don’t see him making any serious waves so I get why. But he’s been good to watch so far. Couldn’t have got off to a much worse start in the UFC, he got blitzed in a minute by Yanal Ashmouz, in London of all places. Since then though he’s gone 3-0 with three first round finishes. All relatively low level but he’s done well to rebound from that disastrous debut regardless. Haven’t seen much of Waters but he’s 30 years old and also on a three fight win streak. Hasn’t fought since his decision win over Billy Goff in May 2024 but I do recall that fight being a real hidden undercard gem. Not a bad little fight this.

 

Brad Tavares vs Robert Bryczek isn’t doing anything for me. Tavares has been on the roster forever, long enough to have fought Phil Baroni FFS. He’s tough but that’s about as much as I can say about him really. He managed to have a boring fight with Gerald Meerschaert last time out and I just can’t really be arsed with him anymore. He’s been in the same stagnant spot for 15 years now. Poland’s Bryczek is 35 years old and 17-6 with 12 finishes. Not that familiar with him but he was doing well for himself in Oktagon before debuting in the UFC early last year. He’s fought once in the UFC last February, lost a decision to Ihor Potieria and that’s been it. He’s been on the shelf 18 months since. Yeah, no real expectations for this.

 

Rinat Fakhretdinov vs Andreas Gustafsson is probably one of the highlights of the prelims for me actually. Might not be a barnburner but I’m very interested to see how these two match up. Fakhretdinov’s Russian, 33 years old and 23-1-1 with 17 wins inside the distance. He can be a bit of a grinder but he has his moments. His most memorable UFC win is probably when he smoked Kevin Lee in 55 seconds back in 2023. But he’s been stacking up the wins in general. Gustafsson is making only his second trip to the Octagon here. He’s Swedish, 34 years old and 12-2 with 10 of his wins not requiring the judges scorecards. He made his UFC debut in June and he looked quite impressive in his points win over Khaos Williams. My main takeaway was that he has some very questionable tattoos though. Very Nazi-ish whiff coming off him.

 

Shauna Bannon vs Sam Hughes. Nowt to see here. Shite. But I’m not even gonna moan too much because there’s not much shite on this card overall. And if this stays in the curtain jerk spot on Fight Pass, it’ll be easily skippable by just tuning in half an hour after the card kicks off. Going through the motions anyway, Bannon’s Irish, 31 years old and 7-1. Lost her UFC debut against Bruna Brasil but has rallied back with huge wins over…checks notes…Alice Ardelean and Puja Tomar. Hughes is 33 years old, 10-6 and coming off a couple of split decisions over Viktoriia Dudakova and Stephanie Luciano. Doubt I’ll give this a nanosecond of my time. I’ve given it enough time typing this.

 

Au revoir…

Edited September 6, 2025 by wandshogun09

[Bruce85]

Another great write up Wand!

This is a really strong looking card, even the prelims look good. No plans on Saturday so a couple of cans and a takeaway with this will do nicely. 

[Egg Shen]

Fares Ziam is out. Cage Warriors 145lb Champ Harry Hardwick has stepped in. Solid.

 

[Egg Shen]

This card has abit of a European Supercard feel to it. I don't think there's been another UFC show where it feels like there's more fighters on it who have properly established themselves despite ever having fought in the UFC. If you keep an eye on European MMA this is a belter.

[Egg Shen]

For fuck sake. I think this was the fight I was most looking forward too.

 

[Kfogg1991]

3 hours ago, Egg Shen said:

For fuck sake. I think this was the fight I was most looking forward too.

 

Fucking same I am fuming for Pitbull.

Honestly his run in the UFC has been shocking and as a fan for so many years in belaltor it hasn't been close at all.

This card really is insanely stacked from start to finish I pray it lives up tomorrow 

[wandshogun09]

Finally updated the opening post with the latest bout order, the removal of Pitbull vs Keita, the addition of Harry Hardwick etc. Hopefully that’s the last of the changes now and there’s no last minute fight day surprises.

Gutted about Pitbull vs Keita. Real shame. There’s a reason I went with a rare two ‘ones to watch’ on this card. While I felt like BSD vs Ruffy would most likely be the most exciting actual fight on this card, I was looking forward to that Pitbull vs Keita fight just as much for different reasons. Hopefully it’s bollocks but I’ve seen rumours that the UFC might’ve cut ties with Keita already off the back of this weight miss. Like I say, hopefully it’s bollocks and it might well be. I haven’t seen it reported anywhere reputable. If they have sacked him off it’s way harsh though. I get why they’d be pissed off at him missing weight so badly his first night in but you’ve also gotta take into account this fight was thrown together on less than three weeks notice. I get that ultimately it’s on Keita, he accepted the fight at 145 so that’s that. But this is what happens sometimes when you just casually throw fights on cards at the last minute. The UFC do that shit more and more these days so they’re gonna have to get used to more fighters missing weight and/or putting in bad performances because they haven’t had adequate prep time. It’s the way it is. In hindsight it was a bad move for Keita to take this fight on a few weeks notice anyway. I didn’t realise but apparently he hadn’t made 145 since 2023 and his last four fights were all at Lightweight. He must’ve thought he could get down to 145 for this but obviously misjudged that. He needed more time for that weight cut. He’s never missed weight before this in his career so it’d be harsh to cut him loose now, in my opinion. Hopefully he gets another chance with a full training camp, and preferably at 155.

On 9/4/2025 at 7:17 AM, Egg Shen said:

This card has abit of a European Supercard feel to it. I don't think there's been another UFC show where it feels like there's more fighters on it who have properly established themselves despite ever having fought in the UFC. If you keep an eye on European MMA this is a belter.

Yeah it’s got a cool feel to it with all the champions from various European promotions on there. You’ve got Cage Warriors champ Hardwick, Ares champ Sola, KSW champ Ruchala and obviously we should’ve had Oktagon double champ Keita. I can’t remember the last time one card had so many interesting debuts of fighters who’ve actually made a name for themselves elsewhere. 

Edited September 6, 2025 by wandshogun09

[wandshogun09]

Nice early one today…

Edited September 6, 2025 by wandshogun09

[Egg Shen]

Rough night for the Fighting Nerds

[Egg Shen]

Harry Hardwick is taking some pelters online for getting the legs kicked off him in his UFC debut. Hardwick pissed off the hardcore's years back for mocking Anthony Smith. That little video has come back to haunt him.

Not the best visual.

[wandshogun09]

Watched all this live. Thought it was a very good show. One of the better Fight Nights this year for me.

Great night for the Frogs.

Thought Imavov won quite comfortably. No argument for Borralho winning, although I felt like the 50-45 scorecard might’ve been a tad harsh. Quite enjoyed the fight though. Imavov looked sharp. He really could’ve done with a finish though to build on the momentum of the Adesanya KO last time. Plus you know the upcoming De Ridder vs Fluffy fight next month is probably gonna be all kinds of goofy and might have a finish. So there’s a decent chance the winner of that fight leapfrogs Imavov and gets the next crack at the title. One factor I didn’t take into account here, and I think it might’ve played a big part, is that Borralho actually weighed in as the official backup for the DDP vs Khamzat fight at UFC 319. That was only a few weeks ago. I completely forgot about that. Having to make weight twice in three weeks is a terrible idea obviously. He understandably thought there was a strong possibility of Khamzat dropping out and he’d swoop in, I get that. But it definitely wasn’t worth the gamble when he had a five rounder already booked for three weeks later halfway across the world. For a Fighting ‘Nerd’, that was a very stupid move.

Man, Saint Denis vs Ruffy was nothing like the barnburner I anticipated going in. BSD just walked through him.

Really exposed Ruffy’s lack of ground game here. I think I did touch on his grappling being a question and untested in the opening post. It got tested here and he failed that test miserably. No doubt Ruffy will have his moments again. He’ll score a highlight reel KO again and all will be mostly forgotten. He’s an exciting striker. But this fight revealed a major hole in his skillset and I’m not sure how fixable it is. He’s already 29. The way Benoit was repeatedly getting mount and the ease he was getting it with wasn’t a good sign. And obviously he ended up getting subbed. Seen stuff about Saint Denis being “back” but I don’t know. I don’t wanna piss on his chips and it was a good performance from him, but I’m not sure whether this was more that or Ruffy just being so deficient there. Whatever, a strong win for BSD. I’d give him Chandler next if it was up to me but you know Chandler’s not gonna go for it, probably thinks he somehow deserves a title shot or he’s still waiting for the rapist. Maybe Saint Denis vs Dariush or something?

Bukauskas smashing up Paul Craig wasn’t a surprise. Craig seems a good guy but he really stands out in 2025 as a throwback and someone who the game has passed them by. Just too one-dimensional, too predictable and too vulnerable in the striking. The playbook has been out there for ages on him. Just avoid the grappling and, as long as you’ve got some power, it’s your fight to lose. Bukauskas was just too young, too strong and too dangerous for him at this stage. Bukauskas looked good, to be fair, and in better shape than I recall ever seeing him before. But it felt like a gimme at this point. Craig’s looked done for a while. And now he is officially.

Nice to see him get that moment. Like I said, he seems a nice fella so it was good to see him get a bit of a send off. He did it his way as well. Kept it short on the mic, said his piece, laid the gloves down and got out of there. For all his shortcomings he had some quality wins and moments in the UFC. Wins over Shogun (although shot at that point), Jamahal Hill and current champ Magomed Ankalaev isn’t bad going. Finished all of them as well and the Ankalaev one being in the last second of a fight he was losing makes that all the more memorable. Still Ank’s only loss to date. Glad he’s retired. Now he needs to shave the head. He’s tried valiantly to cling on, I remember seeing he had a hair transplant a while back, he fixed the front and now he’s getting a massive bald patch at the back. At some point you just have to accept your slap head fate. Come and join the shiny headed side, Paul.

Mason Jones vs Bolaji Oki was tremendous while it lasted. What a rollercoaster. Really looked like Jones might be in deep shit early on and getting dropped is never ideal. The way he bounced back was nuts though. Took everything Oki could dish out then gave it back to him with extras. That one takedown he hit was a thing of beauty, could’ve had him out of there with the Kimura then just crushed him with elbows from mount for the finish.

What a performance. There’s something different about him this time around in the UFC for me. Not saying he’s gonna be a contender or anything but he definitely seems to have matured and levelled up since that first run. So many fun fights you can make with him in that Lightweight division as well. Saw someone suggest Jones vs Esteban Ribovics next on Twitter. I’m all over that! Get Ribovics out of the bastard Apex and stick this fight on a main card in front of real fans and you’re golden. Almost guaranteed FOTN right there.

Thought Axel Sola looked promising in his debut. Seen some criticism and I kind of get it but it’s worth taking into account Sola was fighting up a division for this one. McKee looked a fair bit bigger and, to be fair, McKee was going for it and looked better than I remember him being. Sola got the finish in the end regardless and that body shot was nasty. I actually felt sorry for McKee, he fought his arse off and the ref jumped in very quick after the body shot. Looking forward to seeing Sola back, with a longer training camp and back at 155. This wasn’t a blowaway performance and taking to the third round to put a lower level guy like McKee away isn’t the best look. But I’ve got a feeling there’s a lot better to come from Sola. Time will tell.

Predictably, after every prelim ending inside the distance, William Gomis broke that streak and went to the scorecards with Ruchala in the main card opener. Of course he did. No real opinion on this. For a Gomis fight, it wasn’t that bad compared to some he’s had. But I’m still not a fan. And that one eye poke?

That’s about as intentional as it gets, isn’t it? Usually pokes come when a fighter is framing with their hand and accidentally catch the eye with the fingers. This one Gomis was throwing the closed fist then extended the fingers at the last second. He’s had a few moments like this in a few fights now. Dodgy bastard. Hopefully Ruchala gets a more watchable, less eye pokey, dance partner next time out.

Prelims were a lot of fun. All finishes as well. Few highlights…

Oumar Sy got the first round finish. I said in the opening post I thought this was a bit of a layup for him, designed to get him back in the win column in front of the home crowd. It did what it said on the tin. Ribeiro’s not much good, this was always meant to be a squash for Sy. But he probably needed it to rebound from his first loss last time out. Job done.

Ante Delija had about as good a UFC debut as he could’ve dreamed of. First round knockout, in front of a hot crowd, and exorcised the demon of the first fight, the loss and the injury against Tybura a decade ago.

Two minute demolition job. You could see what it meant to him after as well. Been a long time coming. I don’t expect him to make much of a ripple in the UFC, he’s already 35 and doesn’t look anything special. But if he keeps fighting like this at least he won’t be boring. The division needs as many aggressive fighters as it can get, from unranked to the top. There’s a lid on how far he can go anyway because him and Aspinall are close and I doubt they’d ever fight each other. Not that I think Delija ever gets to that level but it’s not ideal. Hopefully he delivers a few more of these knockouts and mops up a few of the lumbering slugs lower down the Heavyweight ladder regardless.

Harry Hardwick…deary me. The complete opposite of Delija’s debut. This one couldn’t have gone worse. Kaue Fernandes just wrecked him quick with the leg kicks. Haven’t seen a destruction by leg kicks like that for a long time. Just came right out, started blasting the legs immediately and chopped him down in about three minutes. Looked like agony. I’d honestly rather just get knocked out.

On 9/8/2025 at 5:01 PM, Egg Shen said:

Harry Hardwick…

Not the best visual.

Yeah, I remember seeing that Anthony Smith video at the time. Hasn’t aged well. I would like to see Hardwick get another shot in the UFC with a bit more prep time. But the way he lost here likely would’ve happened whether he had a full training camp or not. Genuinely might’ve been one of the worst UFC debuts ever.

Rinat Fakhretdinov blitzed Andreas Gustafsson inside a minute. Just bulldozed him. Not too much you can take away from this, it was so short. But Fakhretdinov is a bit of a beast at this mid-lower level. Saw a few comments the he’s the darkhorse at 170 but I don’t know about that. He arguably should’ve lost the Carlos Leal fight before this and he had a split decision against Dalby and a draw against Zaleski Dos Santos before that. If he’s going to the wire against that kind of opposition I don’t see him doing too well against the Top 10 at all. Like I said though, at a certain level, he’s a fucking handful. I remember Gustafsson looking good in his debut but he was terrible here. Proper Strickland-esque wonky punching technique coupled with wading in with non existent defence. Fakhretdinov made him pay.

Saw Sam Patterson and Robert Bryczek got nice finishes and Shauna Bannon got subbed by Sam Hughes in the curtain jerker. Nothing really to say about any of them lot but Bannon looks woefully out of her depth in the UFC to me. Even at this level she just looks outmatched. 

 

 

Very enjoyable show on the whole. Paris has to be one of the best crowds these days for MMA. They were buzzing from start to finish and it seemed like it really elevated some of the performances we saw.