

Nathaniel WoodĪfter spending the whole of his career competing at bantamweight, Wood returned from a near two-year hiatus in July to make his featherweight debut, collecting a unanimous decision win over American veteran Charles Rosa. This is the UFC Paris edition of Fighters on the Rise.

Here’s a closer look at three of those athletes. Joining all the local talent and their opponents are a collection of emerging competitors looking to use this weekend’s event in “The City of Light” as their chance to step into the spotlight and make a bigger name for themselves as the UFC begins the push towards the end of the year.

Order UFC 279: Chimaev vs Diaz | Get Your Tickets Here Benoit Saint Denis makes his third trip into the Octagon looking for a second straight win, and fellow lightweight Fares Ziam looks to rebound from a loss to Terrance McKinney before a partisan crowd in Paris. It’s an historic event many years in the making, but the timing also couldn’t be better as the collection of French fighters on the roster has never been greater, with several of them slated to compete this weekend.įormer interim heavyweight champ Ciryl Gane headlines opposite streaking West Sydney representative Tai Tuivasa, while his MMA Factory teammate Nassourdine Imavov takes on Joaquin Buckley in a critical middleweight matchup.
