Just three years ago, mixed martial arts were illegal in France.
Earlier this month at UFC Paris, the first UFC event in the country, the French fighters were parfait. When translated into English, the term means “perfect.” All five French fighters on the card emerged victorious, much to the delight of the crowd.
In the main event, No. 1 heavyweight contender Cyryl Gane overcame a knockdown with a storybook finish. She injured Tai Tuivasa, number 3, with thunderous kicks to her body and knocked him out with a flurry of punches.
Nassourdine Imavov, ranked No. 12 at middleweight, treated his hometown fans to victory in a three-round war with Joaquin Buckley. He proved that he is a force to be reckoned with and called up UFC veteran and #11 ranked Kelvin Gastelum for his next fight. Also on the main card, William Gomis made a successful promotional debut with a decision victory.
In the preliminaries, Benoît Saint-Denis was the first French boxer to set foot in the octagon. He overcame a broken toe to finish Gabriel Miranda in the second round, earning him Performance of the Night honors. Fares Ziam continued to prove the promotion right in his decision to re-sign him by using his enhanced wrestling to take Michal Figlak’s undefeated record.
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The magnitude of the event was evident by the worldwide support. Numerous stars flew to Paris to attend, including heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and former welterweight champions Kamaru Usman and Georges St-Pierre. Wrestlers from opposing countries praised the event, including one who participated in the high-profile co-main event. Robert Whittaker compared the French crowd to his Australian fans at home.
French wrestlers weren’t the only ones to get an A+ rating, so were the fans. UFC president Dana White commended them for paying attention to the intricate details of fights, saying, “The thing that always makes me proud is when I go to a new market in France, and you see how polite the fans are.” He applauded the event because “the energy was probably as big and as badass as anything we’ve ever done.”
When asked about returning to France, Dana White said “maybe a fight night in a different city [is next] and then come out with a big pay-per-view in Paris.” Imagine the face of French MMA in Ciryl Gane headlining a pay-per-view in a home heavyweight title rematch against French-speaking champion Francis Ngannou.
Anik Subramanian is an aspiring MMA journalist living in the United States. She discovered her passion for MMA when the sport was the first to return to live action during the pandemic. She is also a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and has been a lifelong sports fan.
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