UFC Paris brings the MMA promotion back to France for the fourth year in a row, with some huge fights with varying consequences all over the card.
The event takes place on Saturday, September 6, at the Accor Arena in Paris, giving headliner Nassourdine Imavov home advantage against Caio Borralho.
He is just one of many Frenchmen on the card, which features a number of debuting fighters as well as some veterans potentially on their last legs.
Here are some key things to watch out for at UFC Paris, including Imavov’s potential title shot and an eight-year veteran fighting for his career.
Nassourdine Imavov could earn a title shot when he returns home to France at UFC Paris
The biggest fight on the card, as you’d imagine, is the main event where hometown hero Imavov fights for a potential future title bout against Khamzat Chimaev.
The Russian-Frenchman returns home to France to compete against Borralho at the top of the card, pitting the #2-ranked and #7-ranked Middleweights against one another in a blockbuster bout.
Imavov is predicted to pick up the win with the hometown crowd behind him, which could see him climb above Dricus du Plessis to become the #1 contender to Chimaev’s title.
However, a loss could send him tumbling down the rankings, behind the likes of Sean Strickland and Reinier De Ridder, with Borralho jumping up even higher in the rankings as a consequence.
Losene Keita is poised to impress on his UFC debut
One fighter who seems certain to make waves is the debuting Losene Keita, who is one of the most impressive prospects to come from Europe in a long time.
Keita is just 27 years old but has already won gold at Lightweight and Featherweight in Oktagon MMA, a Czech promotion.
The Belgian’s only career loss came because of a leg injury he suffered mid-fight, and he has never been beaten in a stand-up fight in his six-year career so far.
He does have a tougher fight in his UFC debut, taking on Bellator legend Patricio Pitbull, who knows all about how tough it can be; he lost his first UFC clash against Yair Rodriguez earlier this year.
While a win is not guaranteed, taking the scalp of a legend like Pitbull could help Keita break out as a future star at UFC Paris.
Paul Craig could make it five without a win to pose questions about his future
One man who is closer to the end than the beginning of his career is UFC veteran Paul Craig.
The Scottish fighter is one of the best defensive fighters in the UFC, with Joe Rogan labelling his guard “sensational”.
However, he has struggled in recent times, failing to win in his last four fights, a streak spanning back to 2023.
Craig’s last win was against Andre Muniz in July 2023, but even that came after back-to-back losses.
With just one win in his last seven fights, another loss could make Dana White think twice about keeping the Scot on the payroll, and he could be turfed out of the promotion after eight years in the UFC.
UFC Paris full card
Here is the full card for UFC Paris:
Main card
Middleweight: Nassourdine Imavov vs. Caio Borralho
Lightweight: Benoît Saint Denis vs. Maurício Ruffy
Light Heavyweight: Modestas Bukauskas vs. Paul Craig
Lightweight: Bolaji Oki vs. Mason Jones
Welterweight: Axel Sola vs. Rhys McKee
Featherweight: Patrício Pitbull vs. Losene Keita
Prelims
Featherweight: William Gomis vs. Robert Ruchała
Light Heavyweight: Oumar Sy vs. Brendson Ribeiro
Heavyweight: Marcin Tybura vs. Ante Delija
Lightweight: Harry Hardwick vs. Kauê Fernandes
Welterweight: Sam Patterson vs. Trey Waters
Middleweight: Brad Tavares vs. Robert Bryczek
Welterweight: Andreas Gustafsson vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov
Women’s Strawweight: Shauna Bannon vs. Sam Hughes