By Caoilte de Barra
The UFC is headed to France for the first time, with a show set for September 3 in Paris.
The legalisation of the sport was announced in June of 2019 by the French Minister of Sport, Roxana Maracineanu. Since the legalisation of the sport in France, many promoters have held shows there. And now it’s time for the UFC to make their long-awaited arrival.
The event will be sanctioned by the French Mixed Martial Arts Federation (FMMAF), which will also provide officials. In the months leading up to the event, the UFC will continue to work closely with the French Boxing Federation and FMMAF to ensure the positive impact of the sport.
UFC President Dana White said: “We’ve been working on getting into France for nearly a decade, and WE’RE COMING!!! I’m so excited to hold our first event in Paris this September. It will be an unbelievable night of fights and an epic historic event for the athletes and fans.”
For a second time this year, the UFC will be working alongside an IMMAF affiliated national federation in Europe. At UFC London, they welcomed the English Mixed Martial Arts Association (EMMAA) to shadow sanction the event.
No fights have been confirmed for the card yet, however, the UFC have several French fan favourites that could feature, including Cyril Gane and Nassourdine Imavov. Another familiar name that could feature is IMMAF alum Manon Fiorot. The 2017 IMMAF World gold medalist is undefeated in her four UFC bouts to date and sits sixth in the rankings, on the brink of title contention.
