Tag: Fares Ziam

Fares Ziam reacts to first UFC knockout, says extra punches ‘not super necessary’

Fares Ziam was thrilled to record his first UFC finish, especially because it came on home soil.

It took [autotag]Fares Ziam[/autotag] a little while, but he finally had his first finish under the UFC banner.

The 27-year-old Frenchman rocked the home crowd at Accor Arena in Paris with a vicious third-round knockout knee strike that landed on Matt Frevola. Commentary, pundits and many others watching along at home on social media immediately labeled the moment a Knockout of the Year contender.

Ziam (16-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) didn’t quite know how to handle his first knockout win since 2018, and borrowed a famous line from Jorge Masvidal in an apology to Frevola (11-5-1 MMA, 5-5-1 UFC).

“It’s my first finish in UFC, but before UFC I have a couple of finishes,” Ziam told UFC News. “Honestly, I threw the knee, he go down, and I say, ‘He’s finished.’ But, the referee don’t come. Maybe, so I strike.

“I’m sorry, Matt for the (extra punches). It’s not super necessary. So, I am sorry.”

After framing Frevola as he attempted to exit a clinch, Ziam connected with the right knee, knocking his opponent out cold. Ziam followed him to the ground for a few extra punches, but it was clear the fight was already over before that. But as fighters are told, he continued striking until the referee stepped in.

“I’m very, very happy,” Ziam said. “It was hard for me to not finish my fight before, and tonight, no pressure.”

Ziam’s coach spoke to him about the importance of having fun in the octagon, while trying to make the most of the moment of fighting in front of a home crowd in France, considering the promotion rarely travels to the country.

On the first fight of a new contract, Ziam extended his current winning streak to four. In his previous fight, he won a split decision against Claudio Puelles in February, which was frustrating, even though he came out victorious.

Now Ziam can sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor, which earned a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus that will come in handy for his new family.

“I got a baby like five months ago. I’m a new father,” Ziam said. “So, I do this for my wife, my son, my family, my coach. I’m happy.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.

UFC Fight Night 243 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Renato Moicano’s $16,000 among top earners

UFC Fight Night 243 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 243 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $173,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 243 took place at Accor Arena in Paris. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 243 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Benoit Saint Denis[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]William Gomis[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Joanderson Brito[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Jousset[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Morgan Charriere[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Gabriel Miranda[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Fares Ziam[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Matt Frevola[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Ivan Erslan[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Oumar Sy[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Da Woon Jung[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ludovit Klein[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Roosevelt Roberts[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ailin Perez[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Darya Zheleznyakova[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Taylor Lapilus[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Vince Morales[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Daniel Barez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Victor Altamirano[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jacqueline Cavalcanti[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Nora Cornolle[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Chris Duncan[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Bolaji Oki[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2431 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $5,895,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $28,632,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.

UFC Fight Night 243 bonuses: KO of the Year contender a no-doubter for $50,000

The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday’s card in Paris, including a vicious KO of the Year contender by Fares Ziam.

The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday’s card in France, including a knockout that’s likely to be very high on everyone’s KO of the Year list.

After UFC Fight Night 243, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances at Accor Arena in Paris. Check out the winners below.

Performance of the Night: Chris Duncan def. Bolaji Oki

Chris Duncan def. Bolaji Oki via technical submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 3:34

Starting off the night in France with an impressive finish was [autotag]Chris Duncan[/autotag]. To his surprise, Duncan didn’t even realize he finished Bolaji Oki until he wasn’t responding. Duncan (12-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) locked up a guillotine choke from the bottom, and released the hold, looking to punch. However, Oki (9-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) was asleep. Duncan then motioned to the referee that his opponent was in la-la land, and the fight was over. Duncan earns the first bonus of his UFC career, one that quite literally fell in his lap.

Performance of the Night: Fares Ziam def. Matt Frevola

Fares Ziam def. Matt Frevola via knockout (knee) – Round 3, 2:59

The UFC might as well have just handed [autotag]Fares Ziam[/autotag] his bonus check as he exited the octagon. His knockout of Matt Frevola is a sure-fire Knockout of the Year contender. Ziam (16-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) was picking apart Frevola (11-5-1 MMA, 5-5-1 UFC) in the first two rounds of the fight, but in the third, he blasted Frevola with a vicious knee on the exit of a clinch. Frevola went unconscious on contact, and a couple of follow-up punches got there before the referee could rush in. Ziam’s first UFC bonus is certainly one to remember.

Performance of the Night: Morgan Charriere def. Gabriel Miranda

Morgan Charriere def. Gabriel Miranda via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 0:27

Keeping the French crowd hyped up with another vicious finish was [autotag]Moragn Charriere[/autotag]. Gabriel Miranda found himself attempting to escape a clinch from Charriere, but didn’t expect a crushing punch to meet him as he turned back into his opponent. Charriere’s left hand sent Miranda to the canvas, and the celebration was on.

That’s three consecutive fights for “The Last Pirate” earning a $50,000 bonus. Charriere is pure excitement.

Performance of the Night: Bryan Battle def. Kevin Jousset

Bryan Battle def. Kevin Jousset via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:47

While the French crowd was amped with back-to-back bonus-earning finishes before his fight, [autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag] flipped the cheers to boos. Battle spoiled the party for France’s Kevin Jousset, boxing him up for a nasty second-round TKO finish. He then got on the mic and delivered one of the most emphatic heel promos on the mic, urging the French crowd to keep booing him. Battle will fly back to the States with an extra $50,000, the second bonus of his UFC career.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.

UFC Fight Night 243 video: Fares Ziam’s knee flattens Matt Frevola for KO of the Year contender

Fares Ziam put Matt Frevola out cold for several minutes with one of the most brutal knees in recent history at UFC Paris.

[autotag]Fares Ziam[/autotag] scored his first UFC finish in emphatic fashion.

Ziam (16-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) knocked out Matt Frevola (11-5-1 MMA, 5-5-1 UFC) with a devastating knee at the 2:59 mark of Round 3 in their lightweight main card bout at UFC Fight Night 243 on Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris.

Ziam was in firm control throughout the fight, stunning Frevola on multiple occasions. He mixed up his attack with some takedowns, before landing a thunderous knee in the clinch which put Frevola out cold. Frevola was on his back for several minutes, but eventually left the cage on his feet with the help of medical officials.

Check out the replay of Ziam’s finish below (via X):

Ziam extended his winning streak to four. The 27-year-old Algerian-French fighter has now won six of his past seven. Frevola, meanwhile, has been knocked out in back-to-back fights.

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Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 243 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.

Matt Frevola vs. Fares Ziam prediction, pick, start time for UFC Fight Night 243

Matt Frevola and Fares Ziam meet in a fun lightweight bout that opens the UFC Paris main card at Accor Arena.

[autotag]Matt Frevola[/autotag] and [autotag]Fares Ziam[/autotag] meet Saturday on the main card opener of UFC Fight Night 243 at Accor Arena in Paris. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 3-2
UFC main cards, 2024: 79-68-3

Matt Frevola vs. Fares Ziam UFC Paris preview

Frevola (11-4-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC) enters his first fight since headliner Benoit Saint Denis snapped his three-fight winning streak. Prior to the setback, Frevola stopped three straight opponents. Genaro Valdez, Ottman Azaitar and Drew Dober failed to make it out of the first round against “The Steamrolla.” … Ziam (15-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) will look to keep his momentum going as a winner of three straight fights. The Frenchman picked up consecutive decision wins over Michal Figlak, Jai Herbert and Claudio Puelles.

Matt Frevola vs. Fares ZiamUFC Paris expert pick, prediction

Kicking off the main card is a proper action fight at 155 pounds between Ziam and Frevola.

For those familiar with my card formatting critiques, there’s nothing I love more than action-fighting lightweights to kick off the festivities on the main broadcast.

Although Ziam can be stereotyped as more of a ‘point-fighting’ competitor, I believe that Frevola’s aggression will bring out the best in the Frenchman. That said, I find myself leaning toward the American in this spot.

Unless Ziam can turn himself into a one-punch knockout artist, I suspect that Frevola will eventually be able to close in on the French fighter and take this fight to the floor (where the biggest on-paper disparity exists).

It’s hard to bet against Ray Longo fighters, so I’ll take “The Steamrolla” to snatch up a submission by Round 2.

Matt Frevola vs. Fares ZiamUFC Paris odds

Despite the oddsmakers opening the American as the favorite, public money has come in on the French fighter, listing Ziam -132 and Frevola +108 via FanDuel.

Matt Frevola vs. Fares ZiamUFC Paris start time, how to watch

Frevola and Ziam are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 3:05 p.m. ET (9:05 p.m. locally in Paris). The fight will stream on ESPN+.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.

Matt Frevola eyes ‘dog fight’ with Fares Ziam at UFC Paris

Matt Frevola plans on luring Fares Ziam into a brawl at UFC Fight Night 243.

[autotag]Matt Frevola[/autotag] plans on luring [autotag]Fares Ziam[/autotag] into a brawl.

Frevola (11-4-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC) meets Ziam (15-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 243 (ESPN+) main card opener at Accor Arena in Paris. Ziam is yet to score a UFC finish but has been able to use his sharp striking technique to outpoint his opposition. Meanwhile, Frevola knocked out three straight opponents in the first round before running into Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 295.

“He’s gotten those wins,” Frevola told BJPenn.com of Ziam. “A lot of them were close, but he’s been able to get the W. He’s a smart, intelligent striker, and he uses his length, his high fight IQ to squeak out those wins. But that’s not how I fight.

“I go in there looking for finishes. If he thinks he’s going to be skating and landing his jab and moving and making it a boring fight, that is not how I fight. I’m going to be in his face, and he’s finally going to have an exciting fight, fighting me.”

Although Ziam said he’s changed his style up in training, Frevola expects him to play it safe – but he won’t let him do that.

“It’s going to be a fight,” Frevola added. “He’s going to come out there and try to land his shots, try to outpoint me, and I’m going to come in there and look to finish him. I’m well-rounded, I can wrestle, I can strike, I got good jiu-jitsu, and I plan on utilizing all my weapons against him. It’s not going to be a pretty kickboxing fight like he wants. It’s going to be a dog fight.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.

UFC Paris’ Fares Ziam views Matt Frevola as top-15 opponent: ‘It’s a big fight’

For Fares Ziam, Matt Frevola at UFC Paris is his biggest fight to date.

For [autotag]Fares Ziam[/autotag], [autotag]Matt Frevola[/autotag] is his biggest fight to date.

Ziam (15-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) meets Frevola (11-4-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 243 (ESPN+) main card opener at Accor Arena in Paris. Ziam’s had Frevola in his sights for a while now, and even though “Steamrolla” is no longer ranked, Ziam sees a win propelling him a big step forward.

“I called him out like one year ago after my fight in London, and today I’m happy to fight him,” Ziam told reporters at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 243 media day (h/t La Sueur). “He’s no longer top 15, but for me he’s a top-15 guy, so for me it’s a big fight.”

Ziam expects an aggressive Frevola right off the bat but sees his technique making the difference.

“I think he’ll engage in the beginning of the fight, where he’ll close the distance. But after, I’ll impose my technique and my tactics,” Ziam said. “I changed my style a bit in training to adapt to whatever situation with my coaches, whether I’m on the offensive or defensive. He’s going to lunge in, try to touch me, but he won’t succeed. I, on the other hand, will succeed in touching him.”

Frevola is excited to compete in Paris after gathering some French fans in his loss to Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 295, but Ziam said the crowd will completely be on his side.

“The fans will be there for me,” Ziam said. “There won’t be fans for him and at the end, he’ll leave with a loss.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.

Matt Frevola draws Fares Ziam at UFC Fight Night in Paris

Matt Frevola’s campaign to fight in Paris has paid off.

[autotag]Matt Frevola[/autotag]’s campaign to fight in Paris has paid off.

Frevola (11-4-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Fares Ziam[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in a lightweight bout Sept. 28 at a UFC Fight Night event from Accor Arena in Paris, France.

Two people with knowledge of the booking recently confirmed the matchup to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Eurosport NL first reported the booking.

Winner of three of his past four, Frevola is coming off a stoppage loss to Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 295. Prior to that, “The Steamrolla” scored three-straight first-round knockouts of Genaro Valdez, Ottman Azaitar, and Drew Dober. Frevola has campaigned for a fight on the Paris card in recent months after gaining a significant amount of French fans on social media after the loss to Saint Denis.

Ziam, 27, is enjoying his best UFC run. The Algerian-French fighter has won three in a row, most recently a split decision over Claudio Puelles at UFC Fight Night 237 in February.

With the addition, the UFC Paris lineup includes:

  • Renato Moicano vs. Benoit Saint Denis
  • Joanderson Brito vs. William Gomis
  • Germaine de Randamie vs. Nora Cornolle
  • Ailin Perez vs. Darya Zheleznyakova
  • Matt Frevola vs. Fares Ziam

UFC Fight Night 237 post-event facts: Yair Rodriguez hits unprecedented career slump

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 237, which saw Yair Rodriguez hit the first losing skid of his career.

The UFC’s final event of February took place Saturday with UFC Fight Night 237 at Mexico City Arena in Mexico.

A flyweight contender re-emerged in the main event, when replacement headliner [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] (16-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) exacted revenge on former UFC champ [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (21-8-2 MMA, 9-4-2 UFC) with a split decision victory in their rematch from November 2020.

For more on the numbers to come out of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 237.

* * * *

UFC Fight Night 237 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Headliners get combined $17,000

UFC Fight Night 237 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

MEXICO CITY – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 237 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $135,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 237 took place at Mexico City Arena. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 237 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Daniel Zellhuber[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Fransisco Prado[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Yazmin Jauregui[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Sam Hughes[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Manuel Torres[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Chris Duncan[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Cristian Quinonez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jesus Aguilar[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mateus Mendonca[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Edgar Chairez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Daniel Lacerda[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Fares Ziam[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Claudio Puelles[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ronaldo Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Denys Bondar[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Felipe dos Santos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Victor Altamirano[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Muhammad Naimov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Erik Silva[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2371 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,228,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $23,935,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 237.