The UFC Paris main event was a one-sided victory for Renato Moicano as he battered France’s Benoit Saint-Denis on his home soil. An early takedown for Moicano allowed him to unleash vicious ground strikes and seriously damage Saint-Denis’ right eye. The Frenchman never fully recovered from the first-round beating, and the ringside physician opted to wave off the fight after the second round.
In the co-main event, Nassourdine Imavov outlasted Brendan Allen to earn a decision victory and move himself a step closer to a middleweight title shot. Allen bagged the first round with an early takedown and over four minutes of control time, but Imavov picked up the pace in the second and third rounds, forcing an exhausted Allen to desperately shoot for takedowns.
Below, we highlight who we think the four fighters in the main and co-main events should face in their next outing.
UFC Paris took place at Accor Arena in Paris, France and streamed on ESPN+.
Renato Moicano
After being beaten soundly by Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 272, Moicano has shown vast improvements in his last four fights. He now has consecutive wins over Brad Riddell, Drew Dober, Jalin Turner and Benoit Saint-Denis, and three of those victories came inside the distance. He can be vulnerable on the feet at times, but when the fight gets to the ground, few people are as lethal as the Brazilian. In his post-fight interview, Moicano called out Paddy Pimblett and Dan Hooker, but I don’t see him getting either of those fights. I do believe that he will get the opportunity to fight up in the rankings, though. Mateusz Gamrot is ranked eighth and is coming off of a loss to Hooker, so this could be the direction the UFC chooses to go.
Matchup: Moicano vs. Gamrot
Benoit Saint-Denis
Saint-Denis was hoping to get back on track after being knocked out by Dustin Poirier at UFC 299, but it wasn’t to be. The Frenchman is no slouch on the ground, but he was dominated there by Moicano on Saturday. Despite the loss, Saint-Denis is still one of the best fighters and top prospects in the lightweight division. He has a well-rounded fighting style and has produced a finish in each of his five UFC wins. Unfortunately, he’ll likely be fighting down in the rankings after losing to Poirier and Moicano. King Green (formerly Bobby) is without a matchup and would surely provide an entertaining fight. He’s unranked, but it’s a fight that fans would be delighted to see on any pay-per-view card.
Matchup: Saint-Denis vs. Green
Nassourdine Imavov
Imavov’s win over Allen was his third of the calendar year, and he has cemented his spot as one of the best middleweights in the world. However, I’m not convinced that his performance at UFC Paris was enough to earn a title shot. Champion Dricus Du Plessis’ next title defense will likely be a rematch against San Strickland, and the winner of Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 will undoubtedly be next in line. Unfortunately for Imavov, that means he’s going to have to win at least one more fight to stay relevant at the top of the division because it’ll be at least a year before the opportunity opens up for him. Most of the 185ers are either booked or taking a break, so I’m not sure who will be next for Imavov. In a previous post, I suggested a fight between Israel Adesanya and Caio Borralho, so if that were the case, I’d give Imavov to Jack Hermansson. It’s a perfect five-round main event.
Matchup: Imavov vs. Hermansson
Brendan Allen
It seems like Allen has been in the mix at middleweight forever, but in reality, he’s only 28 years old. He has only lost three times in the UFC octagon, one of which came against former champion Sean Strickland and another against Chris Curtis, which he recently avenged with a decision win. As previously noted, the 185-pound division is stagnant at the moment with multiple matchups in place. In my opinion, Allen’s next bout should come against the winner of No. 13 Anthony Hernandez and No. 14 Michel Pereira, who are scheduled headline UFC Fight Night on October 19.
Matchup: Allen vs. Hernandez OR M. Pereira
In the Shadows Sports 
Leave a comment