Paris, the city of love is about to be ablaze with the fury of the Octagon. As UFC makes its third straight September trip to the French capital, the anticipation among fight fans is palpable. The Accor Arena will host UFC Fight Night 243 on 28 September 2024 and is expected to be a battleground with the main event featuring lightweights Renato Moicano and Benoit Saint-Denis. The fight is set to become a strike fest and will morph the division’s future going forward.

“Money Moicano” has only lost once since moving up to 155 pounds and is looking to tear into the Top 10 of the division. Meanwhile, the French native ‘God of War’ is looking to bounce back after a knockout at the hands of perennial title contender Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier at UFC 299. Pitting these gladiators against each other is surely a recipe for a barn burner, especially in front of an electric Parisian crowd. The sentiment about the adrenaline of UFC fans in Paris is also shared by UFC head honcho Dana White, who recently talked to MMA Junkie following the 73rd episode of Dana White’s Contender Series.

UFC CEO Dana White Praises French Fans: “Rabid and Electric”

The ‘City of Lights’ has had a recent history of hosting scintillating UFC events. This time around, the stakes are at an all-time high. French fans are renowned for their passionate support and with the prospect of watching their countryman battle it out in the Octagon, the atmosphere is expected to deliver yet again.

In 2022, fans witnessed an all-time great heavyweight scrap where the French native Ciryl Gane knocked out Tai Tuivasa amidst an uproar never heard from a UFC crowd before. One year later, UFC Fight Night 225 made its way to Paris and saw the hometown hero Ciryl Gane demolish Sergey Spivak in the main event to the same ovation.

UFC President Dana White has high hopes for his latest event in Paris and was particularly excited about the prospect of hosting cards in the city. White slated his pleasure and said, “Well! That should be an absolute war. Every time we go to Paris, packed fans are ‘rabid’ there! It should be a fun night!”

Well, Dana isn’t the only one who has been a fan of UFC crowds in the French capital. During the main event of UFC Fight Night 209 in 2022, the crowd was emphatic and sang the country’s national anthem at the top of their lungs. This mesmerized the commentary trio of Jared Gooden, Micheal Bisping, and Paul Felder. Gooden stated with surprise, “I have got goosebumps! Well done! Well done to those folks inside the Accor!” 

The potential ‘Fight of the Year’ contender is all set to take center stage and will certainly etch its name into the annals of successful UFC outings in Paris. However, a question mark looms over the future of the Frenchman in this fight.

Is this Benoit Saint-Denis’s make-or-break moment?

The UFC lightweight title picture has always been stiff with multiple killers going all in for the gold. The division has always been stacked with all-time greats like Khabib ‘The Eagle’ Nurmagomedov, ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor, and Charles ‘Do Bronx’ Oliveria, just to name a few. However, the hole left by the ‘The Eagle’ after his retirement in 2020 saw a boom in opportunities for new fighters to rise and make their name. Benoit Saint-Denis belongs to the same group.

Before his fight with ‘The Diamond’, many people claimed this to be the change of the guard but all dreams fell through as Dustin completely shut Denis in their bout. Therefore, this moment will most certainly be a proving ground for the French native to reassert his claim as the flagbearer of future lightweights. With a potent combination of relentless striking and Muay Thai, Saint-Denis’s offense is viewed as a symphony of violence. All these assets make him a top contender in the division.

Saint-Denis recently expressed his desire to soon face the Lightweight king Islam Makhachev for the title. He stated, “I fought a warrior and the only way to get back to him is to get the belt from [Islam] Makhachev because the only thing [Dustin] Poirier doesn’t have is the undisputed UFC belt.”

Will BSD make it big or will he just end up being another journeyman? Drop your comments below.