by Will Rogers
Sunday, Sep 22, 2024UFC Fight Night
Moicano vs. Saint-Denis
Moicano vs. Saint-Denis
Saturday, September 28th
Accor Arena - Paris
The UFC returns to Paris for the third straight September on Saturday. MMA wasn't legalized in France until 2020. So, the French have a relatively short history of fights here. The first time the UFC came here was in September of 2022. That inaugural event saw French heavyweight Cyrl Gane defeat Tui Tuivasa. Last September, the UFC returned. Once again, Gane was the headliner. Once again, he came through for the home faithful, defeating Serghei Spivak. Gane isn't part of this week's card. Instead, France's Benoit "God Of War" St. Denis, an exciting lightweight will face Brazil's Renato "Moicano" Carneiro. Let's take a closer look at the two biggest bouts.
The Main Event
Accor Arena - Paris
The UFC returns to Paris for the third straight September on Saturday. MMA wasn't legalized in France until 2020. So, the French have a relatively short history of fights here. The first time the UFC came here was in September of 2022. That inaugural event saw French heavyweight Cyrl Gane defeat Tui Tuivasa. Last September, the UFC returned. Once again, Gane was the headliner. Once again, he came through for the home faithful, defeating Serghei Spivak. Gane isn't part of this week's card. Instead, France's Benoit "God Of War" St. Denis, an exciting lightweight will face Brazil's Renato "Moicano" Carneiro. Let's take a closer look at the two biggest bouts.
The Main Event
Moicano vs. Saint-Denis
Saint-Denis -275
2.5 under -155
As one can tell by the odds, Saint-Denis is expected to win this fight. The 28-year old "God of War" has a 13-2 record. He was last seen getting KO'd by Dustin Poirier this past March. Prior to that, he'd won five straight. Saint-Denis can win in a variety of different ways. One of his recent victories was a head-kick KO. Two were TKO's by punches. One was a face-crank submission while another was a rear-naked choke submission. One thing all six of those fights had in common was that none of them made it past the second round. As a matter of fact, only one of his 15 fights, one of the two losses, ever went to the judges.
At 35 years old, "Moicano" has been around for a while. He fought recognizable names like Brian Ortega, Cub Swanson and Jose Aldo back in 2017-2019 but has been matched up against lesser known opposition of late. He is 3-0 his past 3 fights though, a TKO, a decision and a submission.
Prediction: Inspired by the French fans, Saint-Denis is going to be too much for the older Brazilian. Though warranted, the heavy price tag is too much for my taste. Instead, the play is on the Under 2.5 rounds. Moicano has been stopped four times and none of Saint-Denis' 13 victories have gone past the second round. Play on the Under.
The Co-Main Event
Saint-Denis -275
2.5 under -155
As one can tell by the odds, Saint-Denis is expected to win this fight. The 28-year old "God of War" has a 13-2 record. He was last seen getting KO'd by Dustin Poirier this past March. Prior to that, he'd won five straight. Saint-Denis can win in a variety of different ways. One of his recent victories was a head-kick KO. Two were TKO's by punches. One was a face-crank submission while another was a rear-naked choke submission. One thing all six of those fights had in common was that none of them made it past the second round. As a matter of fact, only one of his 15 fights, one of the two losses, ever went to the judges.
At 35 years old, "Moicano" has been around for a while. He fought recognizable names like Brian Ortega, Cub Swanson and Jose Aldo back in 2017-2019 but has been matched up against lesser known opposition of late. He is 3-0 his past 3 fights though, a TKO, a decision and a submission.
Prediction: Inspired by the French fans, Saint-Denis is going to be too much for the older Brazilian. Though warranted, the heavy price tag is too much for my taste. Instead, the play is on the Under 2.5 rounds. Moicano has been stopped four times and none of Saint-Denis' 13 victories have gone past the second round. Play on the Under.
The Co-Main Event
Allen vs Imavov
Imavov -210
2.5 over -200
American middleweight Brendan Allen (24-5) takes on France's Nassourdine Imavov (14-4) in the (3-round) co-main event. Though not quite as expensive as Saint-Denis, the French fighter is again a fairly steep favorite. Since losing a decision to Sean Strickland, Imavov is undefeated. He's very skilled but Allen also comes in full of confidence. The American is 7-0 his past 7 fights and 9-1 his last 10. In his last fight, Allen defeated Chris Curtis, the last fighter to have beaten him. (Imavov and Curtis also fought once but it was declared a no contest due to a clash of heads.)
Prediction: This one will likely go the distance with Imavov winning by decision. Unless the price comes down, I'm unlikely to be involved.
Imavov -210
2.5 over -200
American middleweight Brendan Allen (24-5) takes on France's Nassourdine Imavov (14-4) in the (3-round) co-main event. Though not quite as expensive as Saint-Denis, the French fighter is again a fairly steep favorite. Since losing a decision to Sean Strickland, Imavov is undefeated. He's very skilled but Allen also comes in full of confidence. The American is 7-0 his past 7 fights and 9-1 his last 10. In his last fight, Allen defeated Chris Curtis, the last fighter to have beaten him. (Imavov and Curtis also fought once but it was declared a no contest due to a clash of heads.)
Prediction: This one will likely go the distance with Imavov winning by decision. Unless the price comes down, I'm unlikely to be involved.
