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Benoit Saint Denis looks to make it a trio of triumphs in his return to Paris.

The lightweight contender takes on Renato Moicano in Saturday’s UFC Paris headliner in front of a supportive French crowd and in a city where he has never lost. Saint Denis has twice competed in his nation’s capital, both times scoring second-round knockouts, against Thiago Moises in 2023 and Gabriel Miranda in 2022.

If he can put away Moicano, it will reestablish Saint Denis as a potential title challenger in one of MMA’s deepest divisions. Saint Denis is coming off of his first UFC loss, a Fight of the Night defeat at the hands of lightweight legend Dustin Poirier, and he has the chance to prove his thrilling five-fight win streak wasn’t lightning in a bottle.

Moicano has become appointment viewing and not just because he’s won three straight. His “Money” persona has captivated fans as he generates anticipation for what he’ll do in his fights and what he’ll say after whenever he makes the walk to the octagon. It’s anyone’s guess what he’ll have in store for a sea of disgruntled Parisians should he beat Saint Denis.

In the co-main event, Nassourdine Imavov is tasked with defending his spot against a highly motivated Brendan Allen. “All In” isn’t happy with how the UFC has ranked him, and he’s eager to take out his frustrations on Imavov, while moving one step closer to the top 5 of the division.

Also on the main card, William Gomis and Joanderson Brito battle for a spot in the featherweight top 15, welterweights Kevin Jousset and Bryan Battle put their undefeated streaks on the line, former Cage Warriors featherweight champion Morgan Charriere takes on Gabriel Miranda, and Fares Ziam takes on the always exciting Matt Frevola in the lightweight opener.

What: UFC Paris

Where: Accor Arena in Paris

When: Saturday, Sept. 28. The eight-fight preliminary card begins at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN+, followed by a six-fight main card at 3 p.m. ET also on ESPN+.

(Numbers in parentheses indicate standing in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings)

Renato Moicano (12) vs. Benoit Saint Denis (14)

Can Renato Moicano outlast Benoit Saint Denis? That’s really the question.

Moicano has a history of defusing fighters that are perceived to be heavier hitters than him. Consider how he used his elite jiu-jitsu to ground Jalin Turner, Drew Dober, and Brad Riddell. And that stems from his willingness to stand and scrap too. His grappling compliments his striking and vise-a-versa. He’s just effective enough on the feet to force his opponents to respect him and leave gaps in their defense.

When it comes to Saint Denis, the gaps aren’t hard to find, it’s exploiting them that’s the problem. The French star fights with a physicality that’s nearly unmatched at 170 pounds and he’s more than capable of bridging the experience gap by sheer force of will. That’s why I expect him to win on Saturday.

Moicano is the more skilled, more well-rounded fighter, but it’s fair to question his durability. He has to last at least two hard rounds with Saint Denis, and I don’t see that happening. His past losses have come when he is just overwhelmed, and Saint Denis will have 20,000 hollering fans backing his attack.

Saint Denis finishes in the first.

Pick: Saint Denis

Nassourdine Imavov (T7) vs. Brendan Allen (8)

Yes, it’s time for everyone’s favorite game show: AK Lee Picks Against Brendan Allen!

Your contestants today, Nassourdine Imavov and, of course, our returning champion currently on a seven-fight win streak, Brendan Allen, ladies and gentlemen!

I’ve picked against Allen in four straight predictions pieces, and for his sake, I’m doing it again. Not that I believe in any kind of superstitions, but in the off chance they exist, I might just reverse jinx Allen all the way to a freaking UFC title fight. And if I pick against him there… anything is possible.

There are more substantial reasons to pick Imavov to win, too. The Frenchman’s specialty is timing and precision, and when he’s able to effectively control the distance, he looks like one of the best strikers in the middleweight division. He’s strong enough to not be out-muscled if Allen wants to grapple and won’t shy away from a takedown attempt if the opportunity presents itself.

Allen’s preference is to come forward and pressure, a strategy that has served him well during this impressive run of form. If he can cut off the cage and keep Imavov stuck to the fence, it could be another check in the W column for “All In.”

Sticking with the rules of this game show, I’m picking Imavov by decision.

Pick: Imavov

William Gomis vs. Joanderson Brito

This matchup between William Gomis and Joanderson Brito has a real matador and bull feel to it.

Gomis has carved out a nice niche for himself as one of the craftiest fighters in the featherweight division. That hasn’t always resulted in the most memorable performances, but a win is a win, and there are a lot of worse things to be than 145-pound Leon Edwards (look how well that worked out for Edwards!).

On the other side, Brito does everything with force and intention to finish. He grapples hard, he throws hard, he even fights hard off of his back. Brito is a world-class risk taker and there’s no scenario where he isn’t looking to take the advantage and set himself up for a knockout or submission.

I see Brito’s swashbuckling style paying off eventually. He’ll endure some early frustration before dialing up the offense in Round 2, hurting Gomis on the feet, and finishing with a submission.

Pick: Brito

Kevin Jousset vs. Bryan Battle

One big change for Kevin Jousset in this matchup is he’s going from an opponent in Song Kenan that he had a reach advantage over, to an opponent in Bryan Battle that has the reach advantage over him.

That’s oversimplifying this matchup, but Jousset has gotten a lot of mileage out of an effective jab and well-timed leg kicks. He’ll find the rangy Battle is considerably more difficult to outpoint from distance. Fortunately for Jousset, he brings a solid grappling background to the table, so that could be the path he takes to keep his win streak going.

Battle has been calling for a step up in competition and while Jousset is more of a lateral move, it’s the test Battle needs to show he’s truly ready to graduate to the next tier of welterweights. The Ultimate Fighter 29 winner has the tools to be a mainstay of the division, but needs seasoning with just 13 pro bouts under his belt.

This will be a closely contested, ahem, battle, that Battle will edge out on the scorecards after a hard-fought, three round battle.

Man, I wrote battle so many times there.

Pick: Battle

Morgan Charriere vs. Gabriel Miranda

Is it too severe to call this a make-or-break fight for Morgan Charriere?

I’m still of the opinion the former Cage Warriors featherweight champion can be a player in the UFC’s 145-pound division, but he has to deliver on Saturday if he’s to be taken seriously as a contender. “The Last Pirate” is one of the biggest favorites on the card, hovering around 5-to-1 on most sportsbooks.

He’s been granted a favorable matchup in Gabriel Miranda, a high-pace fighter with questionable defensive skills. Charriere shouldn’t be timid in this matchup because Miranda certainly won’t be, and if Miranda sets the tone early, his pressure could make Charriere wilt.

As versatile as Charriere is, he should be smart here and stick to sprawling and brawling, as it were. He has a significant advantage on the feet and should be able to frustrate Miranda with his takedown defense before letting his hands and feet go. I’m predicting a highlight-reel knockout win for Charriere.

Pick: Charriere

Fares Ziam vs. Matt Frevola

One way or another, this one shouldn’t go to the judges and that’s good news for Matt Frevola.

With respect to Fares Ziam—a fine technical striker that looks like he’s capable of challenging elite lightweights when he’s at his best—sometimes you’ve got to just kick some ass and that’s what Frevola always signs up for. Ziam will keep this as technical as he can for as long as he can before Frevola just rushes in and breaks the door down.

Who knows? Maybe the counter-heavy Ziam will find Frevola’s chin and finish his first fight in five years (yikes!). Or maybe this will turn into a crowd-pleasing slugfest that goes the distance. But my prediction is Frevola risks it all to crack Ziam and hand him his first knockout loss.

Pick: Frevola

Preliminaries

Ivan Erslan def. Ion Cutelaba

Oumar Sy def. Da Un Jung

Ludovit Klein def. Roosevelt Roberts

Taylor Lapilus def. Vince Morales

Darya Zheleznyakova def. Ailin Perez (15)

Daniel Barez def. Victor Altamirano

Nora Cornolle (T13) def. Jacqueline Cavalcanti

Bolaji Oki def. Chris Duncan

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After a weekend off, the UFC returns to action this Saturday with UFC Paris. Headlined by a top 15 lightweight matchup between Renato Moicano and Benoit Saint Denis, the card also features 13 other fights for your betting action, so let’s dive in on which bouts you should be betting.

All odds are courtesy of our friends at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Straight Bets

Renato Moicano (+220)

The main event is one heck of a fight, and I love Saint Denis, but he’s overvalued in this matchup.

“BSD” is a force of violent nature who is going to come in slugging on the feet and shooting 100 takedowns a minute. It’s an effective style, but one Moicano is poised to take advantage of. Moicano is an excellent grappler in his own right and a good enough striker to have success against the many openings Saint Denis leaves on the feet. Most importantly though is the cardio. This is a five-round fight, and Saint Denis’s style doesn’t lend itself to protracted slogs. If he can’t finish Moicano early, “Money” is going to take this thing to deep waters.

Brendan Allen (+184)

In the co-main event (which arguably should be the main event given the rankings of the fighters involved), Brendan Allen takes on Nassourdine Imavov in a top 10 middleweight battle. And like in the main event, there’s value on the underdog.

Allen is on a seven-fight win streak and has truly come into his own as a fighter. He’s an extremely dangerous grappler and an improving striker. Imavov also appears to be on the rise, but I think he’s getting a bit of a bump from oddsmakers here for his win over Jared Cannonier, who is clearly past his prime. Allen can stay competitive on the feet and has a clear advantage on the floor. I like Allen to win this fight outright.

Nora Cornolle (+176)

Cornolle faces Jacqueline Cavalcanti in a prelim women’s bantamweight bout that’s actually a rematch, and I like her changes to get the win.

Cavalcanti has never impressed me, in part because of her total disinterest in finishing fights. She’s a decent kickboxer, but she’s all volume and very little danger. That’s not Cornolle’s problem whatsoever. Cornolle is a tank of a woman.

Photo by Leandro Bernardes/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Prop Bets

Joanderson Brito by KO/TKO or Submission (+105)b

Brito faces William Gomis in the feature fight of the evening, and I believe this will be the Chute Boxe fighter’s big breakout.

Brito is a nightmare of a fighter to deal with, having beaten Diego Lopes on Contender Series. Since falling short in his UFC debut against Bill Algeo, the Brazilian has been hell on wheels for everyone he’s fought. Five fights in a row, five finishes against an increasing level of opposition have Brito on the cusp of a featherweight ranking, and given how dangerous he is in all phases, I like his chances against the more reserved Gomis. And when Brito wins, he wins big, as he’s only gone to a decision three times in his 21-fight career, so I like him to get a finish as well.

Wrap Up

With another week off, the last time we were here it was UFC 306 and it was a losing weekend for us. Alas. But now we’ve got a good stretch of events to make it back, starting with Paris. Let’s go!

Until next week, enjoy the fights, good luck, and gamble responsibly!

All information in this article is provided to readers of MMA Fighting for entertainment, news, and amusement purposes only. It is the responsibility of the reader to learn and abide by online gambling laws in their region before placing any online sports betting wagers.

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MMA Fighting has UFC Paris results for the Moicano vs. Saint Denis fight card, a live blog of the main event, and more from Accor Arena in Paris on Saturday afternoon.

In the main event, Renato Moicano and Benoit Saint Denis square off in a lightweight contest. Moicano and Saint Denis have both won four of their past five fights.

Nassourdine Imavov and Brendan Allen clash in a middleweight contest in the co-main event.

Check out UFC Paris results below.

Main Card (ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET)

Renato Moicano vs. Benoit Saint Denis

Nassourdine Imavov vs. Brendan Allen

William Gomis vs. Joanderson Brito

Kevin Jousset vs. Bryan Battle

Morgan Charriere vs. Gabriel Miranda

Fares Ziam vs. Matt Frevola

Preliminary Card (ESPN+ at 12 p.m. ET)

Ion Cutelaba vs. Ivan Erslan

Oumar Sy vs. Da Un Jung

Ludovit Klein vs. Roosevelt Roberts

Taylor Lapilus vs. Vince Morales

Darya Zheleznyakova vs. Ailin Perez

Daniel Barez vs. Victor Altamirano

Nora Cornolle vs. Jacqueline Cavalcanti

Bolaji Oki vs. Chris Duncan

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Devin Haney isn’t done with Ryan Garcia.

Garcia defeated Haney this past April in a highly controversial bout that saw Garcia miss weight for the 140-pound contest—rendering him ineligible to win Haney’s WBC super lightweight title—and then have his win overturned when it was later announced that he tested positive for a banned substance.

Haney’s team subsequently wrote a letter to the New York State Athletic Commission calling for Garcia to be disqualified and are now taking legal recourse. On Friday, the boxer filed a lawsuit against Garcia alleging battery, fraud, and unjust enrichment from the April 20 contest, according to a report from Boxing Scene.

“Devin is a consummate professional and Ryan Garcia has shown no respect for himself, the business or the sport,” Haney’s father and coach Bill Haney told Boxing Scene. “Devin is the face of boxing because he has challenged the franchise in many ways – by working with multiple promoters, by crossing the sides of the street (among broadcasters), and now he’s challenging PED use. This is all for the good of the sport.”

Garcia has already faced sanctions from the NYSAC. In June, the boxer reached a settlement with the commission, accepting a $ 1.1 million fine and a one-year suspension from competition for the failed drug test. He had also made a public bet with Haney that resulted in Garcia paying Haney $ 600,000 after he weighed in three pounds over the limit for their fight.

On fight night, Garcia scored three knockdowns en route to a majority decision win; however, that win is now officially a no-contest and Haney’s undefeated record has been restored at 31-0.

According to Haney’s attorney Pat English, there was specific language in the bout agreement signed by Garcia in which the boxer guaranteed he would not use performance-enhancing drugs. Garcia has become known for his troubling behavior in public and on social media, which necessitated extra precautions on the Haney side.

“At no time did Devin Haney consent to engage in a bout against a boxer who was positive for a performance-enhancing drug, performance enhancing-procedure or masking agent and would not have proceeded with the bout had he known,” English wrote in Friday’s filing, according to Boxing Scene. “The New York State Athletic Commission would not have permitted the bout had it known of the positive finding or of Garcia’s IV use.

“Adding insult to the Commission and to the sport of boxing, Mr. Garcia has alleged that he was ‘high as f*ck during’ his bout with Mr. Haney. This very clearly brings disrepute on the sport of boxing and by derivation on the New York State Athletic Commission.”

The lawsuit alleges battery due to Haney suffering “physical injury, reputational damage which will amount to millions of dollars, and emotional and mental distress,” fraud due to Garcia’s weight miss and positive drug test, and unjust enrichment due to Garcia receiving his purse and a share of the pay-per-view profits.

“Under the terms of that consent order, Ryan Garcia must return the (guaranteed, non-pay-per-view earnings) purse he has been paid to his promoter, Golden Boy,” the lawsuit reads. “Devin Haney and Devin Haney Inc. are contractually entitled to 47 percent of all profits for the bout and is thus entitled to 47 percent of the funds required to be returned … Golden Boy has asserted that it will not share its extra profits from the bout as a result of the forfeiture ordered by the New York Athletic Commission. This constitutes a breach of contract by Golden Boy and /or and /or unjust enrichment to Golden Boy.”

**UPDATE**

Garcia responded to Haney’s lawsuit with an Instagram post on Friday, making light of the situation and mocking Haney.

“I’m being sued for doing my job.

“This fight has been a Netflix documentary but this right here is the finale.

“Your honor he simply struggles with left hook syndrome.”

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Diego Lopes may get what he wants after all.

On Friday, Lopes announced he will serve as the backup fighter for the UFC 308 featherweight title fight between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway. MMA Fighting confirmed the news via multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans.

“Officially back up for the fight on October 26th. See you in Abu Dhabi”

Lopes has already fought three times this year, most recently at UFC 306 where he won a unanimous decision over Brian Ortega to move to No. 3 in the UFC featherweight rankings. Following his win, Lopes declared his interest in either fighting for the title next or taking on former champion Alexander Volkanovski. Now should something happen to either Topuria or Holloway before UFC 308, Lopes may get his opportunity.

It’s unclear how, if at all, this decision may affect Volkanovski, who appeared poised to fight the winner of Topuria vs. Holloway.

UFC 308 takes place on Oct. 26 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

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UFC Paris is almost upon us.

This Saturday, the UFC returns to the Accor Arena in Paris for a 14-fight event headlined by a lightweight battle between Renato Moicano and Benoit Saint Denis, and also featuring a top-10 middleweight matchup between Nassourdine Imavov and Brendan Allen. It’s a night of big fights in the City of Lights, with questions aplenty.

Ahead of Saturday’s big event, MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew and José Youngs preview the card, breaking down the marquee matchups. Topics include what Moicano and Saint Denis are fighting for, whether Imavov and Allen got snubbed by being relegated to the co-main event, which fights are flying under the radar in this stacked event, and the best French pastries.

Catch the UFC Paris preview show above. An audio-only version of the show can be found below and on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

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Conor McGregor has respect for the pioneers of MMA.

“The Notorious” was recently featured on a live stream hosted by online gambling site Duelbits, where he fielded a number of questions, including who he considers to be the five greatest MMA fighters of all time.

Without missing a beat, McGregor rattled off four names that would register with any fight fan, though he needed a moment to come up with the fifth.

“Top-5 MMA GOATS,” McGregor said. “Rickson Gracie, Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Chuck Liddell… how many is that? Three, four? Four? The OGs… Bas Rutten. Bas Rutten, yeah. Europe’s own. Europe’s first is Bas Rutten. What a man Bas Rutten is.

“Serious shape he’s in now. Bas, I’m right behind you, bro. I see you, Bas. I see you, Bas. I’m right behind you.”

A former kickboxer, Rutten became the first UFC champion from the Netherlands when he defeated Kevin Randleman via split decision in May 1999 to claim a heavyweight title. Injuries prevented Rutten from ever defending his belt, but the victory was the exclamation point of an impressive fighting career that saw him go 28-4-1 with notable wins over Frank Shamrock, Maurice Smith, Guy Mezger, and Tsuyoshi Kohsaka.

Rutten was inducted into the UFC Hall Fame Pioneer Wing in 2015.

McGregor’s other choices were also integral to the rise of MMA to the mainstream, with Royce Gracie being arguably the most important figure in the history of the business as the face of the earliest UFC events, Rickson Gracie being renowned for his mythical—if often undocumented—martial arts feats, Shamrock taking the UFC to another level of popularity, and Liddell being the promotion’s first superstar of the modern era.

Surprisingly, McGregor left himself off the list. The braggadocious Irishman remains MMA’s biggest box office draw and once held titles in the UFC’s featherweight and lightweight divisions. The 36-year-old’s recent career output has left something to be desired as he has just one win to his name since defeating Eddie Alvarez for the 155-pound title back in 2016 and hasn’t fought since a loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021.

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Aljamain Sterling vs. Movsar Evloev is back on.

On Friday, the UFC announced that the featherweight matchup between Sterling and Evloev now takes place at UFC 310 on Dec. 7 in Las Vegas.

Evloev and Stering were originally scheduled to face off at UFC 307 which takes place next week in Salt Lake City, but “Funk Master” withdrew from the bout due to injury. After Sterling’s withdrawal, Evloev campaigned for a replacement opponent, including former foe Diego Lopes, but the UFC instead opted simply to delay the contest for later in the year.

Sterling, a former bantamweight champion, made the move up to featherweight this year after losing the belt to rival Sean O’Malley. He won his debut fight against Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 to move to No. 11 in the MMA Fighting Global featherweight rankings.

Undefeated in 18 professional bouts, Evloev has won eight straight fights in the UFC and most recently competed in January, taking a unanimous decision victory over Arnold Allen at UFC 297.

UFC 310 takes place Dec. 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. A main event is yet to be announced.

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Merab Dvalishvili is offering to put his rivalry with Sean O’Malley to bed for good.

“The Machine” handily won a five-round unanimous decision at UFC 306 to take the bantamweight title from O’Malley, but the former champion has questioned the scoring since, arguing that he did enough to win three rounds of the fight.

Though O’Malley came on strong in the fifth and arguably won the third, it’s difficult to figure out what other round the judges could have given him given that Dvalishvili controlled the majority of the action with his grappling. Regardless, Dvalishvili appears to be open to facing O’Malley again, and soon, as he took to social media to propose a rematch at UFC 309 on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

“I hear O’Malley thinks he won the fight and is looking for a rematch,” Dvalishvili wrote in a Twitter post tagging O’Malley.” If he wants it, he can have it. Let’s do Nov. 16 at the Garden and then I’ll still defend the title against whoever the UFC wants me to fight next. What do you think?”

Dvalishvili’s assurance that he still plans to defend against another contender is probably good news for fight fans eager to see him lock up with undefeated bantamweight Umar Nurmagomedov. A matchup between Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov would put the champion’s 11-fight win streak against an opponent that is yet to lose in 18 pro bouts.

Regardless, it doesn’t sound like O’Malley plans to take Dvalishvili up on his offer as he has an upcoming surgery that could keep him sidelined well into 2025. He replied to Dvalishvili, telling him that he should just fight Nurmagomedov instead.

“Getting surgery Oct. 3,” O’Malley wrote. “Fought you with one hip and still beat you. Rounds 1, 3, 5. I’m the champ. Fight Umar.”

Nurmagomedov has also chimed in via social media:

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Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov have a new date for their rematch.

Following the news that their previously scheduled UFC 308 encounter had been postponed due to a Volkov knee injury, Gane (12-2) and Volkov (38-10) have officially been rescheduled for UFC 310 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. La Sueur initially reported that the bout had been moved to the Dec. 7 pay-per-view and the UFC announced the move Friday.

This clash of ranked heavyweights—Gane is currently No. 3 in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, with Volkov a spot ahead at No. 2—is a rematch of their June 2021 encounter that Gane won by unanimous decision. Gane and Volkov met in a five-round bout that headlined a UFC APEX event in Las Vegas.

After defeating Volkov, Gane went on to beat Derrick Lewis win a vacant interim heavyweight title. He then challenged Francis Ngannou in a unification bout at UFC 270, where he lost by unanimous decision. He scored a first-round knockout of Tai Tuivasa to earn another title shot, this time for the heavyweight belt vacated by a departing Ngannou, but was submitted in a little over two minutes by Jon Jones.

Gane defeated Serghei Spivac via second-round TKO in his most recent outing in September 2023.

Volkov is on the best run of his UFC career, having won four straight fights for the first time since starting 4-0 for the promotion. The former Bellator heavyweight champion has knocked off Sergei Pavlovich, Tuivasa, Alexandr Romanov, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik during this stretch, and targets a long-awaited UFC title shot if he can earn an elusive win over Gane.

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