UFC announced Wednesday that it will hold an event at Accor Arena in Paris on Sept. 5 (local time), marking the fifth consecutive year the promotion has staged a card in the French capital.
The announcement comes amid what many consider a golden era for French MMA, driven by the rise of standout fighters such as Ciryl Gane and Benoit Saint Denis. Attention is now turning to whether those two and other French prospects will compete on the Paris card. UFC noted the event has sold out every year it has been held there.
Gane, the No. 1-ranked heavyweight and widely regarded as one of the sport's premier striking technicians, is set to fight former two-division champion Alex Pereira for the interim heavyweight title at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14. In the lightweight division, No. 5-ranked Benoit Saint Denis — a former French special forces soldier with a strong fan following — takes on No. 6 Paddy Pimblett at UFC 329 on July 12.
The full fight card for the Paris event will be announced on a rolling basis.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
