Moicano vs Saint-Denis Main Event & Undercard Tips
The UFC lands in Paris this weekend for an important battle in the Lightweight division as France’s Benoit Saint-Denis headlines a show for the first time against Renato Moicano.
Saint-Denis was last seen coming out on the wrong side of a war with Dustin Poirier earlier this year, while Moicano is on a three fight win streak.
The co-main event sees a potential title eliminator at Middleweight as Nassourdine Imavov faces Brendan Allen.
Tip 1 - Renato Moicano vs. Benoit Saint-Denis Under 1.5 Rounds - 6/5
Benoit Saint-Denis made a huge jump in class last time out when he fought Dustin Poirier at UFC 299 in May.
Ranked twelve in the division, the French fighter took on the number three ranked Lightweight in what was the American’s 30th UFC appearance.
The 28 year old was close to putting Poirier away in the first round as he poured on the offence, landing some huge elbows and body shots in what was a grappling heavy approach.
However, Poirier’s experience and doggedness proved crucial as he stayed in the fight and landed a superb right hand knockout in the second round.
It was the second loss of Saint-Denis’ UFC career, taking him to 5-2 and ended a five fight win and finish streak which included the scalps of Matt Frevola, Thiago Moisés and Ismael Bonfim.
A BJJ specialist, Renato Moicano has secured six of his eleven UFC wins by submission, all by rear naked choke.
The now 35 year old has enjoyed a resurgence in his career since moving to Lightweight in 2020 where he is now 6-2 in this weight class.
The Brazilian is currently on a three fight win streak with victories over Jalin Turner, Drew Dober and Brad Riddell.
Moicano’s only defeats in this run have come against former champion Rafael dos Anjos at a catchweight of 160lbs and Rafael Fiziev.
From his total of five UFC losses Moicano has been KO/TKO’d three times against Fiziev, Chan Sung Jung and Jose Aldo.
There is no doubt both men are dangerous with their respective skill sets and there will be opportunities for both in what looks set to be a wild encounter. It’s hard to see many other fighters taking shots Poirier took in the first round against the Frenchman, while Moicano will have technical prowess Poirier didn’t when attempting submissions.
Between them they have 11 first round finishes so this is one we are going to sit back and enjoy as the chaos unfolds.
Tip 2 - Nassourdine Imavov to Win & Over 1.5 Rounds - 23/25
Nassourdine Imavov makes a relatively quick turnaround here following the biggest win of his career against Jared Cannonier in June.
The French based fighter took out the American in the fourth round after piling on the pressure following a powerful right hand.
The 28 year old is 6-2 with 1 no contest in the UFC and is ranked at number four in the division.
An all round mixed martial artist, Imaov is on a two fight win streak following a frustrating 2023 where he lost to Sean Strickland before having a no contest with Chris Curtis following an accidental clash of heads.
Imavov has decision wins over Roman Dolidze and Joaquin Buckley as well as TKO victories over Edmen Shahbazyan and Ian Heinisch.
As well as having a smooth striking style, he is defensively sound on the feet and in his grappling.
Brendan Allen comes into this on a seven fight win streak which has seen him climb to number eight in the Middleweight division.
The 28 year old secured a split decision win in a rematch with Chris Curtis in April, avenging his last UFC loss back in December 2021.
Prior to that win he had submitted his previous three opponents in Paul Craig, Bruno Silva and Andre Muniz, all by rear naked choke.
Both these two are young for the division but it feels like Imavov is further ahead in both skill set and big fight experience and could well frustrate his opponent in the striking department in front of his adopted home crowd.
Tip 3 - Oumar Sy to Win by Submission - 27/20
Paris born Oumar Sy makes his second UFC appearance in front of his home crowd.
Debuting in the Apex in May, Sy made fast work of Tuco Tokkos securing a rear naked choke submission in the first round.
The 27 year old has the longest reach of any active Light Heavyweight with 83 inches with a four and a half inch advantage here.
Sy’s strength is his grappling and mauling style, which kept him undefeated through his time in KSW and other promotions, making him 10-0.
Da Woon Jung is on a three fight skid in the UFC which has taken his record to 4-3-1.
The 30 year old hasn’t been seen since last September when he was submitted in the third round by Carlos Ulberg.
The South Korean also lost to Devin Clark and Dustin Jacoby in this run of defeats, while he has wins over the likes of Kennedy Nzechukwu and William Knight.
Primarily a stand-up fighter, Woon Jung has shown some good takedown defence in the UFC but will come up against a relentless opponent in Sy, who is the pick to once again grind down his opponent and get the win.
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