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Surging UFC fighter puts win streak on the line with dangerous Paris matchup

Will this fighter's winning run continue at UFC Paris?
Drew Beaupre|
(Zuffa LLC)

UFC Paris has added a banger of a lightweight matchup that unfortunately feels like a step back for one of the fighters involved.

The UFC returns to the Accor Arena in Paris, France on September 6, and in the card’s main event Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho will square off with a potential shot at the UFC middleweight title on the line.

This year’s edition of UFC Paris has slowly been taking shape in recent weeks, and after a light heavyweight bout between Modestas Bukauskas and Paul Craig was confirmed in the last few days the promotion has officially added another intriguing bout to the card.

Bo Nickal (red gloves) fights Paul Craig (blue gloves) in the middleweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden.
Bo Nickal (red gloves) fights Paul Craig (blue gloves) in the middleweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Fares Ziam vs. Kauê Fernandes Booked For UFC Paris

With a number of French fighters already scheduled to compete at UFC Paris, Fares Ziam will get another chance to thrill the fans in his home country when he meets Kauê Fernandes.

Following a 2-2 start to his career with the UFC, a win over Michal Figlak in 2022 kicked off what has turned into an impressive five-fight win streak for the 28-year-old Ziam.

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“Smile Killer” earned a “Performance of the Night” bonus at last year’s UFC Paris when he knocked out Matt Frevola in the third round, and earlier this year Ziam picked up arguably the biggest win of his career thus far when he ended Mike Davis’ four-fight win streak.

Jai Herbert (red gloves) fights Fares Ziam (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena.
Jai Herbert (red gloves) fights Fares Ziam (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. | Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

No Ranked Opponent For Fares Ziam

Many fans expected that Ziam would get a crack at the UFC lightweight rankings following his win over Davis, but instead the Frenchman gets a dangerous matchup in the unranked Fernandes.

A veteran of the LFA and Shooto Brasil, Fernandes dropped a split decision to Marc Diakiese in his UFC debut in 2023 but rebounded with a first-round finish against Mohammad Yahya the following year.

Guram Kutateladze (red gloves) fights against Kaue Fernandes (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena.
Guram Kutateladze (red gloves) fights against Kaue Fernandes (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. | Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images

The 30-year-old scored a sizeable upset earlier this year when he took a unanimous decision over Guram Kutateladze, and Fernandes will try to steal Ziam’s momentum when the pair meet on a UFC Paris card that currently looks like this:

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• Main Event: Nassourdine Imavov vs. Caio Borralho

• Marcin Tybura vs. Ante Delija

• Modestas Bukauskas vs. Paul Craig

• Bolaji Oki vs. Mason Jones

• Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Andreas Gustafsson

• Oumar Sy vs. Brendson Ribeiro

• Shaunna Bannon vs. Sam Hughes

• Yuneisy Duben vs. Kennedy Freeman

• William Gomis vs. Robert Ruchala

• Fares Ziam vs. Kauê Fernandes

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Published | Modified
Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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