After a one-week hiatus, the UFC returns with an exciting Fight Night card in Paris. The event is headlined by a lightweight bout between Benoit Saint-Denis and Renato Moicano, while middleweight contenders Nassourdine Imavov and Brendan Allen will square off in the co-main event.
The 14-fight card will begin at 12 p.m. ET with prelim coverage, and the main card will start at 3 p.m. ET. All of the action will air on ESPN+.
11 Renato Moicano vs. 12 Benoit Saint-Denis
Moicano has become a fan favorite with his electric post-fight interviews. He has won three in a row and is one of the hottest fighters at 155, so he’s getting lots of opportunities to show off both his personality and his skillset. His last outing was a TKO victory over Jalin Turner, but Moicano had to dig deep to overcome an early knockdown.
It was his seventh finish in the UFC, and each of his previous six had come by way of rear-naked choke. He’s heading into enemy territory to face Benoit Saint-Denis, though. The Frenchman is coming off of a thrilling brawl with Dustin Poirier at UFC 299 that didn’t go his way. It’s worth noting that Saint-Denis was suffering from a staph infection during that fight week, and he looks to be healthy this time around. BSD’s most memorable performance came at UFC 295, where he shut Matt Frevola’s lights out with a kick to the head.
Moicano usually leans on his grappling advantage, but he likely won’t be able to do that against Saint-Denis, who is more well-rounded than anyone Moicano has faced in recent years. Saint-Denis clearly has the striking advantage, and I expect that to be the difference in the fight. The “God of War” will get a huge win in front of his home crowd.
Pick: Saint-Denis via KO/TKO, Round 2
4 Nassourdine Imavov vs. 8 Brendan Allen
Imavov was written off by many after his loss to Sean Strickland in January 2023. His next bout against Chris Curtis, which he was winning handily, ended prematurely due to a clash of heads. Imavov may be the most underrated fighter at middleweight, and earlier this year, he became the first to finish Jared Cannonier since 2018. The stoppage may have been slightly early as Cannonier was still defending himself and throwing punches, but he was certainly in trouble. Imavov outstruck him 82-64 and landed two takedowns.
Brendan Allen has won seven consecutive fights, five of which were rear-naked chokes. However, his last outing against Chris Curtis could have gone either way, and “All-In” was fortunate to escape with a split decision victory. Had Curtis not torn his hamstring in the middle of the fifth round, there’s a good chance Allen wouldn’t have won the fight.
Here were the controversial scorecards:
Allen has found success against on the ground against many of his opponents, but Imavov’s length, takedown defense and grappling ability should keep this fight standing. Imavov is the far better striker and I expect him to take care of business and get a late finish in front of the French crowd.
Pick: Imavov via KO/TKO, Round 3
In the Shadows Sports 
Leave a comment