Winners And Losers From Moicano Vs Saint Denis Card

Renato Moicano dominated Benoit Saint Denis in the main event of the UFC Paris fight card, leaving the cageside doctor no choice but to wave off the fight at the conclusion of the second round of the lightweight headliner. Moicano scored an early takedown at the top of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card and rained down unanswered strikes to his opponent’s face, leaving Saint Denis stunned, bloody, and bruised.

Moicano didn’t have a particularly active second round, actually losing that stanza on the scorecards, but he didn’t need to. The damage he did in the first round and the jabs he landed to Saint Denis’ face in the second left his opponent with a right eye that was swollen shut. The damage left the doctor no choice but to wave off the fight.

In the co-main event, Nassourdine Imavov survived a tough first round where Brendan Allen controlled him on the mat to come back to win the next two rounds in the middleweight matchup via takedown defense and superior grappling.

Below, we look at the UFC Paris results, winners and losers, video highlights, scorecards, bonus winners and reactions.

UFC Paris took place at Accor Arena in Paris, France, and streamed on ESPN+.

UFC Paris Winners

Renato Moicano: Renato Moicano needed five minutes to put a horrifying amount of damage on Benoit Saint Denis. He scored an early takedown and then locked on a body triangle. From there, Moicano unloaded a staggering amount of strikes that left Saint Denis’ face bloody and swollen. Saint Denis’ right eye was nearly closed at the end of the five-minute round, and things did not improve in the second stanza.

The referee made the right decision to wave off the fight at the end of the second round, giving Moicano his fourth straight win.

Nassourdine Imavov: Nassourdine Imavov failed to stop the first takedown attempt of Brendan Allen in their UFC Paris middleweight co-main event. After that, Imavov thwarted all Allen’s takedown attempts and then outworked and outlanded Allen on the way to a decision win.

Following his victory, Imavov called for a UFC middleweight title fight.

William Gomis vs. Joanderson Brito: William Gomis and Joanderson Brito had a spirited featherweight bout on the main card. Brito pushed the pace, but Gomis was the busier and more technically sound striker, giving him the split-decision win.

Bryan Battle: Bryan Battle’s striking looked excellent against Kevin Jousset in their welterweight scrap. While Jousset had the advantage in the power department, Battle’s combinations, output, speed, and technique overwhelmed his opponent, who was on a five-fight winning streak heading into UFC Paris.

The one knock against Battle’s performance was that he relied a lot on his chin more than his movement and footwork, which could be a dangerous game as he makes his way up the rankings.

Morgan Charriere: Morgan Charriere was a significant betting favorite over Gabriel Miranda in their featherweight contest because of his striking. He showed why the oddsmakers had him as the favorite early in the second round when his opponent left his chin open; Charriere found the mark, scoring the knockout 27 seconds into the round.

With the victory, Charriere moved to 2-1 in the UFC, and there is a good chance he will pick up a third fight-night bonus at the end of Saturday night.

Fares Ziam: The striking of Fares Ziam was vastly superior to that of Matt Frevola in the opening fight on the UFC Paris main card. Where Frevola was throwing everything with 100 percent power, Ziam was measured in his approach, using speed and precision to connect on the feet. Ziam also showed some decent wrestling and ground fighting skills throughout the lightweight matchup.

The patience that Ziam displayed throughout the fight paid off in a big way when he dropped Frevola with a perfectly timed and placed knee to the head against the fence in the third round.

With the nasty knockout, which left Frevola unconscious on the way to the mat, Ziam is on a four-fight winning streak. Before UFC Paris, Ziam did not have a stoppage under the UFC banner. He scored a highlight reel KO on Saturday.

Ion Cutelaba: Ion Cutelaba bounced back from a decision loss to Philipe Lins in March with a workmanlike performance against the debuting Ivan Erslan. The win was one of the most controlled fights of Cutelaba’s UFC career.

Oumar Sy: Oumar Sy got a bit of a test on Saturday when he put his unbeaten record on the line against the more experienced Da Woon Jung. Sy, who moved to 11-0 with the unanimous decision victory, handled himself well. The 28-year-old needs to shore up some aspects of his game, specifically his cardio, pace, striking defense and propensity to reach in with his strikes. A pro since 2019, Sy is a fighter who should be brought along slowly as he is still learning on the job.

Ľudovit Klein: The UFC Paris commentary team said that Ľudovit Klein was upset that he didn’t get a ranked opponent in Paris. However, Klein did not have the type of performance against Roosevelt Roberts that would justify him getting a ranked lightweight in his next outing. Klein had a workmanlike performance in getting the win over Roberts, extending his unbeaten streak to seven UFC contests.

Klein entered the contest as a massive -1000 betting favorite.

Taylor Lapilus: Taylor Lapilus knew the assignment heading into UFC Paris: keep the fight in the open and prevent Vince Morales from securing takedowns and keeping the fight on the mat. Morales secured a couple of takedowns and racked up three minutes of control time, but Lapilus avoided taking any damage on the mat. Meanwhile, Lapilus used his active striking game to sweep the scorecards for the bantamweight bout. With the victory, Lapilus, who is in his second stint with the UFC, is on a two-fight winning streak.

Ailin Perez: Ailin Perez missed weight on Friday but came out on Saturday and looked good in using her wrestling to take the fight to the mat, where she used her heavy top game and striking to work to securing an arm-triangle choke.

With the win, Perez is on a four-fight winning streak in the UFC. The submission marks her first stoppage with the promotion.

Daniel Barez vs. Victor Altamirano: This was an entertaining flyweight scrap with both men fighting to their strengths. Barez had the advantage in power, primarily contained in his right hand, while Altamirano was looking to land kicks to the head and body of his opponent’s right side. Ultimately, Barez’s power carried the scorecards, giving him the unanimous decision victory.

Jacqueline Cavalcanti: Jacqueline Cavalcanti used pressure and Octagon control to pick apart Nora Cornolle on the feet in their women’s bantamweight bout. Cavalcanti mixed up her targets and techniques while using her height and reach to frustrate Cornolle throughout their 15-minute matchup. Cavalcanti had her opponent on the back foot for nearly the entire fight, keeping her against the fence while outworking Cornolle.

With the win, Cavalcanti is 3-0 in the UFC.

Chris Duncan: Chris Duncan bounced back from a February submission loss to Manuel Torres with a submission of his own on Saturday, choking Bolaji Oki unconscious in the first round of their lightweight matchup.

Duncan did not have the striking skills or power of Oki, but his guillotine choke, which he applied as the two went to the mat following an Oki takedown was on point.

Duncan had to inform the ref that Oki was out.

UFC Paris Losers

Benoit Saint Denis: Benoit Saint Denis stumbled in his last outing, losing to Dustin Poirier by knockout in the second round, following a dominant first five minutes in that fight. On Saturday, Saint Denis had one of the worst first rounds in recent UFC history.

Renato Moicano dominated him on the ground, racking up an stunning amount of damage via ground strikes after securing an early takedown.

Brendan Allen: Brendan Allen had a decent first round against Nassourdine Imavov, scoring an early takedown and controlling his opponent on the mat for most of the round. However, he didn’t do any damage during that time or attempt a submission. After that, Allen failed on his subsequent nine takedown attempts and could not mount any notable striking offense. The loss ended Allen’s seven-fight winning streak and erased any hope of earning a title fight in the not-too-distant future.

Kevin Jousset: Kevin Jousset showed good power in his matchup against Bryan Battle, but his defense and output were absent, which cost him the fight.

Matt Frevola: Matt Frevola had a rough night in Paris. He had no answer for the striking of Fares Ziam, who also outworked Frevola on the mat. With the nasty KO loss on Saturday, Frevola has been knocked out in back-to-back UFC outings, falling to Benoit Saint Denis in November.

Roosevelt Roberts: Roosevelt Roberts is a fun fighter who was released by the UFC in 2021, got back into the promotion after two wins outside the promotion, missed weight, and lost his short-notice return bout. He picked up another short-notice matchup in Paris, where he was a massive underdog to Ľudovit Klein. Roberts didn’t win, but he showed a lot of heart and a no-quit attitude in the loss. Will that be enough to earn him another contest under the UFC banner? We shall see.

Vince Morales: Vince Morales got a second chance with the UFC after going 5-0 outside the promotion, however, he could not get his wrestling going against Taylor Lapilus, which cost him his winning streak.

Nora Cornolle: Nora Cornolle could not deal with the pressure and length of Jacqueline Cavalcanti. She seemed to want to get the fight to the clinch, but her inability to get her back off the fence prevented her from implementing her game plan. Cornolle, who was 2-0 in the UFC heading into UFC Paris, needs to work on circling off the fence.

Bolaji Oki: Bolaji Oki came out aggressive against Chris Duncan. Ultimately, that aggression proved to be his undoing. Oki’s striking was decent, he showed good power and high output, but he was headhunting.

Duncan was ready for Oki’s takedown attempt, but Oki was not prepared for Duncan’s guillotine, a submission hold that turned out Oki’s lights early in the first round.

UFC Paris Fight Card Results

UFC Paris Main Card

Renato Moicano defeats Benott Saint Denis via TKO at 5:00 of Round 2 (Doctor Stoppage)

Nassourdine Imavov defeats Brendan Allen via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)

William Gomis defeats Joanderson Brito via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Bryan Battle defeats Kevin Jousset via TKO at 3:47 of Round 2 (Punches to head at distance)

Morgan Charriere defeats Gabriel Miranda via knockout at 0:27 of Round 2 (Punch to head at distance)

Fares Ziam defeats Matt Frevola via knockout at 2:59 of Round 3 (Knee to head in clinch)

UFC Paris Preliminary Card

Ion Cutelaba defeats Ivan Erslan via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Oumar Sy defeats Jung Da-woon via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)

Ľudovit Klein defeats Roosevelt Roberts via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Taylor Lapilus defeats Vince Morales via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)

Ailin Perez defeats Daria Zheleznyakova via submission at 3:52 of Round 1 (Arm triangle choke from half guard)

Daniel Barez defeats Victor Altamirano via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)

Jacqueline Cavalcanti defeats Nora Cornolle via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Chris Duncan defeats Bolaji Oki via submission at 3:34 of Round 1 (Guillotine choke from guard)

UFC Paris Video Highlights

UFC Paris Scorecards

UFC Paris Fight Night Bonuses

Performance of the Night: Bryan Battle

Performance of the Night: Chris Duncan

Performance of the Night: Morgan Charriere

Performance of the Night: Fares Ziam

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