Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out a live video stream of the UFC Fight Night 243 ceremonial weigh-ins.
UFC Fight Night 243 ceremonial fighter weigh-ins take place Friday, and you can catch a live video stream of the proceedings here on MMA Junkie at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
The weigh-ins take place at Accor Arena in Paris. The same venue hosts Saturday’s event (ESPN+). In addition to the video stream above, you can check out the official UFC Fight Night 243 weigh-in results from earlier in the day.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.
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.
Check out the UFC Fight Night 243 official weigh-in results in Paris, featuring lightweights Renato Moicano and Benoit Saint Denis.
MMA Junkie has you covered with official results from the UFC Fight Night 243 official weigh-ins.
UFC Fight Night 243 (ESPN+) will take place Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris. The official weigh-ins took place Friday morning at the fighter hotel.
Among those weighing in were lightweight headliners Renato Moicano (19-5-1 MMA, 11-5 UFC) and Benoit Saint Denis (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC). Brendan Allen (24-5 MMA, 12-2 UFC) and Nassourdine Imavov (14-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) also step on the scale for their middleweight co-headliner.
https://x.com/MMAJunkie/status/1839569138311664079
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 3 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, noon ET)
* Perez missed women’s bantamweight limit by .5 pound; fined 20 percent of purse
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.
Renato Moicano and Benoit Saint Denis made weight without issue for the UFC Fight Night 243 main event in Paris.
The UFC Fight Night 243 main event is official after [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] and [autotag]Benoit Saint Denis[/autotag] made weight on Friday.
Ranked lightweights are set to clash in a five-round bout at Accor Arena in Paris on Saturday (ESPN+), but first both men had to step on the scale and hit the divisional mark.
Moicano (19-5-1 MMA, 11-5 UFC) registered at 156 pounds for his second octagon headliner, while France’s own Saint Denis (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) tipped the scale at 156 pounds for his first promotional main event.
Brazil’s Moicano is riding a three-fight winning streak and is No. 15 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings. No. 14-ranked Saint Denis, meanwhile, is looking to rebound from a knockout loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 299 in March, which snapped his five-fight winning streak.
Check out the video above to see Moicano and Saint Denis make weight for UFC Fight Night 243.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.
Benoit Saint Denis will fight in front of his home fans in France – and he has yet to disappoint them in Paris in the UFC.
MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom goes in-depth to break down the biggest fights in the UFC. Today, he takes a closer look at the UFC Fight Night 243 main event between [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] and [autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag] (ESPN+).
Staple info:
Supplemental info:
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt
+ Regional MMA titles
+ 1 KO victory
+ 10 submission wins
+ 4 first-round finishes
+ Consistent pace and pressure
+ Solid muay Thai technique
^ Hard leg kicks
+ Accurate hooks and uppercuts
^ Coming forward and off the counter
+ Developing wrestling game
^ Strong from bodylock positions
+ Excellent transitional grappler
+ Always looks for back
^ 10 wins by rear-naked choke
+/- 2-1 against UFC-level southpaws
Staple info:
Supplemental info:
+ Judo black belt
+ Regional MMA accolades
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt
+ French national champion in BJJ
+ 4 KO victories
+ 9 submission wins
+ 7 first-round finishes
+ KO Power
+ Aggressive pace and pressure
+ Powerful left kick
^ Variates well between body and head
+ Solid takedown ability
^ Chains attempts well against the fence
+ Excellent transitional grappler
^ Punishing rides, good scrambles and submissions
The main event in France features a fun stylistic matchup between two lightweights who operate out of different stances.
Known as the “God of War,” [autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag] is a southpaw who slings his left shin with impunity.
https://twitter.com/JackSlackMMA/status/1838662605486932272
Whether Saint-Denis is variating his kicks to the body or the head, he is good about counter-balancing his attacks with hard punches on the follow-up. Saint-Denis has also made more of a concerted effort to prod with body punches in recent outings, which only adds to the southpaw double-attack dynamic that he brings to the table.
That said, Saint-Denis’ borderline reckless aggression can expose some porous defense that leaves the 28-year-old open to counters.
Enter [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag].
Despite stepping onto the UFC scene with submissions being his forte, Moicano quickly demonstrated that he was paying proper attention to all parts of his game – including his striking.
Steadily developing a muay Thai arsenal, Moicano can either stalk or stick and move, using hard kicks from both sides. Striking in combination when feeling in stride, the 35-year-old does increasingly better at punching his way in and out of the pocket.
https://twitter.com/fenoxsky/status/1838277021673423123
Whether Moicano is coming forward or countering, his hook, cross and uppercut triggers appear to be deeply rooted, committing to a response each time. When facing southpaws, Moicano will still smartly utilize his lead hand but mainly looks to counter when finding himself in open-stance affairs (which isn’t the worst idea in the world given the potential offerings his opponent could provide).
Given that both fighters come from grappling bases, no one should be shocked if either man attempts to take things to the ground this weekend.
An aggressive pressure-grappler at his core, Saint-Denis has little issue when it comes to implementing his game on the opposition. Although Saint-Denis may not have the most elegant setups for his shots, the 28-year-old is a relentless worker once he can corral people up against the fence.
From body locks to chains off of the single-leg, Saint-Denis almost resembles a honey badger in closed quarters. And when Saint-Denis can establish any kind of riding position, he’s quick to get to work with punishing strikes and opportunistic submission holds.
That said, Moicano – a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt – is not exactly a slouch in close. Moicano has also spent a good portion of his childhood practicing judo, which means that he should at least be familiar with some of the offensive and defensive stylings of Saint-Denis.
Since moving up to the UFC’s lightweight division, Moicano has become a much more aggressive grappler. Moicano still shows the level-changing shots that he wielded at featherweight, but the American Top Team product arguably gets a bulk of his work done from the clinch.
https://twitter.com/DanTomMMA/status/1839195829653159978
Favoring the bodylock position, Moicano likes to combo his threats that range from shuck-bys to the back to Polish-style, step-around takedowns that force his opponents to pick their poison.
Once Moicano can establish a dominant position, he quickly demonstrates why he made MMA Junkie’s Top 10 when it comes to rear-naked choke artists in MMA.
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt primed to get behind his opposition, Moicano needs very little daylight to get to his preferred kill zone. And once Moicano can establish his presence from the rear, he shows incredibly slick grip deconstructions that smoothly cut through his victim’s defenses like a hot knife going through butter.
The oddsmakers and the public are currently favoring the French fighter, listing Saint-Denis -290 and Moicano +215 via FanDuel.
Although I don’t disagree with who is favored, I believe that Moicano is a live underdog in this spot.
Aside from the fact Saint-Denis has still yet to prove himself positively past the second round, the “God of War” will provide Moicano with plenty of counter opportunities due to the sheer nature of his aggression. And despite Saint-Denis having solid wrestle-ups with some confident front-choke defense in tow, the Frenchman is not beyond being taken down due to his proclivity to sometimes surrender underhooks in favor of overhooks.
Still, I can’t help but suspect that this will be an incredibly tough storm for Moicano to weather from both a size and stylistic perspective.
Moicano may technically have a positive record opposite UFC-level southpaws at 2-1, but all three fighters in said sample were able to repeatedly hurt the Brazilian with left-sided strikes, dropping or stopping him in most cases. Couple that with the bodywork that Saint-Denis brings to the table (something that was a crux with my Rafael Fiziev and Rafael dos Anjos picks), and I find myself semi-reluctantly siding with the betting favorite in this spot.
I wouldn’t mind being wrong, but the official pick is Saint-Denis by knockout in Round 1.
As the main event in Paris, Moicano and Saint Denis are expected to make their walks to the octagon at approximately 5:30 p.m. ET. The entire card streams on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.
Renato Moicano knows he faces a stern test in Benoit Saint Denis.
[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] knows he faces a stern test in [autotag]Benoit Saint Denis[/autotag].
Moicano (19-6-1 MMA, 11-5 UFC) meets Saint Denis (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 243 (ESPN+) main event at Accor Arena in Paris.
Moicano, who’s a proven submission specialist, is out to prove that he’s better than Saint Denis overall.
“Definitely, Benoit Saint Denis is not easy money, and that’s why he’s in the position he is right now,” Moicano told reporters at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 243 media day (h/t UFC). “We’re fighting in France, right? UFC knows his value, but I’m here to prove I’m better than him. I’m here to beat him.”
Saint Denis is ranked one spot below Moicano in the UFC’s lightweight rankings, meaning a win for Moicano won’t necessarily propel him up the ladder. However, Moicano sees more value in a win over a hyped contender like Saint Denis.
“I think the rankings, they don’t matter,” Moicano said. “You know, if the rankings matter, things will be easier. But no. We saw like last month, Dan Hooker beating Mateusz (Gamrot) and they were pretty far on the rankings. We see some guys, like even McGregor, back in the day – I don’t know, how many years without fighting and he was in the rankings.
“I think this sport, we have to try to see like the popularity, the momentum. And even though Benoit Saint Denis is ranked behind me, I think he has a lot of momentum. I think he has a lot of popularity, especially in Europe, and I think that could catapult me, not to the rankings, but to popularity and I could get even better fights.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.
UFC Fight Night 243 headliner Benoit Saint Denis rediscovered his “pleasure” for fighting after being KO’d by Dustin Poirier in March.
[autotag]Benoit Saint Denis[/autotag] thinks his loss to Dustin Poirier earlier this year made him a better fighter.
Saint Denis (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) will look to prove it Saturday when he competes for the first time since his second-round knockout defeat to “The Diamond” in March when he meets Renato Moicano (19-6-1 MMA, 11-5 UFC) in the UFC Fight Night 243 headliner at Accor Arena in Paris (ESPN+).
The Frenchman is the star of the event on his home soil, and it’s a chance to show the result against Poirier wasn’t a defining peak in his career. In fact, he sees it as a pivotal point of education for how he can keep climbing even higher.
“The last time I didn’t take any pleasure because of the success (I was having in) becoming a huge fighter on the roster,” Saint Denis told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “You kind of become your own CEO with your staff and everything, and it’s a lot of stuff to manage. It brings stress, and it brings a lot of stuff, and I didn’t have the experience to manage all of that. I took time to become a fighter again and having a lot of pleasure in fight camp and doing what I do love. It is giving the people a good fight and the fight I paid for. I am ready.”
Saint Denis, 28, revealed following the bout with Poirier that he had been dealing with a staph infection in the lead-up. He failed to meet his standard for performance, and seeing that unfold was part of his shift in mentality.
“A lot of stuff happened with that fight,” Saint Denis said. “It has been bringing me a lot of lessons. I need to come 100 percent healthy to the fight. Most important part of the training camp is to be ready for the fight. Not before or not after. Being healthy and taking a lot of pleasure in training. … I think when a fighter has pleasure training, he has pleasure fighting and he will fight better.”
Saint Denis, No. 14 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings, will have the chance to find out if his adjustments will translate into a winning effort against another proven opponent in No. 15-ranked Moicano, who has won five of his past six.
“I know he’s a warrior and it’s going to be a tough matchup, but it’s the kind of fight that excites me,” Saint Denis said. “It’s the kind of fight that shows the best fighters in the world. That is what we are here. … I have a big statement to make. The only way to do it is to do it inside the cage. That what’s I am looking for.”
If Saint Denis is successful in his statement, he will likely find himself back on the trajectory that led to him being matched up with a former interim UFC champion like Poirier.
“The style you win in the octagon is what gives you the opportunities you deserve,” Saint Denis said. “I’m not going to talk before beating him. You will know (what I want) when business is done.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.
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.
Nassourdine Imavov thinks Brendan Allen is in no position to be making so many demands.
[autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag] is in no position to be making so many demands.
Imavov (14-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) takes on Allen (24-5 MMA, 12-2 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 243 (ESPN+) middleweight co-main event at Accor Arena in Paris. Allen initially said he wouldn’t fly to enemy territory to fight Imavov unless it’s a main event. He then accused Imavov of declining a five-round fight. Imavov is confused by Allen’s stipulations and said five rounds was never on the table.
“He wanted a lot of things, but it doesn’t matter,” Imavov told reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 243 media day (h/t La Sueur). “He’s behind me. He doesn’t have hype. I have more hype than him, I’m better ranked than him. So, he has nothing to claim for.
“He’s coming to my city. The contract that the UFC sent was three rounds, and I’m not afraid of five rounds. If you see, my last fight against Jared was initially a three-round fight and then they came back to me two weeks before the fight to ask me to take a five-round main event, and it was no problem.”
If Imavov gets past Allen, he has his sights set on former champion Israel Adesanya.
“I heard media say that a fight with Adesanya would be good, and the people seem interested,” Imavov said. “It’s two correct styles, so I think it could be a great fight.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.
Ailin Perez wants a big name next if she’s victorious over Darya Zheleznyakova at UFC Fight Night 243 in Paris.
[autotag]Ailin Perez[/autotag] is very confident entering UFC Fight Night 243 – so confident that she already has a few names in mind for her next fight.
Perez (10-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC), a rising women’s bantamweight, doesn’t think she’ll have much difficulty getting her hand raised Saturday in Paris against [autotag]Darya Zheleznyakova[/autotag] despite it likely feeling like enemy territory. Although originally from Russia, Zheleznyakova (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) trains out of France and is expected to have the crowd support this weekend.
Perez is unfazed fighting in France and feels very good about her chances.
“Being 100 percent honest, I feel like this is an easy fight, my friend,” Perez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I don’t know how else I can put it. She’s a very green fighter. Her base is boxing, and she is a good boxer, but in MMA she’s not up to my level.
“She’s underestimating me and has been saying my striking is zero, so I welcome exchanging with her, I’ll be the one that starts the striking, and we’ll see how good she is.”
Perez claims Zheleznyakova has been trashing her skills in the buildup to the fight. These comments have not bothered Perez but motivated her.
“It didn’t bother me, but it did tough my ovaries,” Perez said. “Fighters who talk badly about me end up paying for it in the cage. You can ask Joselyne Edwards. I know I didn’t knock her out, but I hit her quite badly in the striking. Darya is completely wrong, and I’m going to show it in the cage. The more she underestimates me the more dangerous I get.”
If victorious, Perez would be on a four-fight winning streak. She believes that would set her up for a big opportunity whether it be a big name, a main event slot, or both.
“After finishing Darya, I’m going to ask my friend Dana White for a main event fight, preferably against Kayla Harrison,” Perez said. “We’re still insisting on that fight because that’s the fight I need to prove I’m worthy of fighting for a belt. And if not, Norma (Dumont) if she stops running from me. She only wants to fight with people above her in the rankings, and that’s OK, but part of the reason why she’s in the rankings is that she hasn’t fought and lost to me. So Dumont or Julianna Peña, who’s a punching bag.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.