This weekend (Sat., Sept. 5, 2026), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will venture forth to Accor Arena in Paris, France, for UFC Paris. In the main event, one of the best prospects in the entire sport, Saladhine Parnasse, will finally make his Octagon debut versus battle-hardened veteran, Dan Hooker. French and Europea talent will be on display throughout the night, and the Parisian crowd has a proven history of creating explosive atmospheres.
It should be a ton of fun! Let’s dig into the analysis
and predictions of five main card fights leading up to the main event:
Lightweight: Fares Ziam (-162) vs. Axel Sola (+126)Best Win for Ziam? Mike Davis For Sola? Ismael Bonfim
Current Streak: Ziam lost his last bout, while Sola won his last fight
X-Factor: How does Ziam rebound from his first UFC loss in years?
How these two match up: This is a high-level collision of unranked Lightweights.
Ziam dropped his Top 15 slot with a disappointing showing versus Tom Nolan, who managed to out-hustle Ziam in the first two rounds in a largely uneventful bout. Prior to the defeat, Ziam was consistently impressing with his mix of sharp distance kickboxing, vicious elbows and strong fence wrestling. Sola, meanwhile, has proven himself a skilled and all-action fighter in just three UFC appearances. Strong and aggressive, Sola has good power and a well-rounded mix of skills.
Ziam, on his best day, could challenge the best fighters in UFC’s Lightweight division. Nolan just demonstrated, however, that he can still be pushed around and forced into passivity, which was a consistent issue in his early UFC appearances. My hope here is that the defeat lights a fire under Ziam and renews his aggression, forcing him to focus up and avoid giving away control time.
Sola is gifted and dangerous, but Ziam is a more cohesive and skilled fighter overall. He should be able to control range with his straight shots and then set up his wrestling entries, which will grow more and more dominating as the fight wears on.
If not, I’ll be left wondering about wasted potential.
Prediction: Ziam via decision
Middleweight: Michael Page (-184) vs. Nursulton Ruziboev (+142)Best Win for Page? Jared Cannonier For Ruziboev? Dustin Stoltzfus
Current Streak: Both have won three straight
X-Factor: Page is 39 years old
How these two match up: We may have found the opponent who can force excitement from “MVP.”
Page in his later years has developed into a promoter’s nightmare (more on that here). He’s damn tricky and skilled enough that he can out-strike just about anyone on UFC’s roster, but he’s not scoring highlight reel knockouts anymore. His fights tend to be low-volume frustration, which makes it hard to promote Page even if he keeps winning. Ruziboev, conversely, is the classic boom-or-bust finisher. The 6’5” wrestler explodes out of the gate, hunting for the early knockout and submission. If it doesn’t materialize, Ruziboev quickly fatigues and becomes far less threatening.
Ruziboev is the rare fighter who can match Page’s range, which instantly makes the matchup more compelling. He’s also going to test Page’s historical average grappling, and Ruziboev has tapped out 21 previous opponents. Given his fast starts, the odds of Ruziboev scoring the early takedown and putting Page in bad positions right away feel strong.
The question is whether or not he actually finishes. Page is quite good at controlling hands and preventing his opponents from doing much while on top, even if he’s not great at scrambling back to his feet. Likely, Page survives the first, and then the pressing issue of Ruziboev being competent in round two arises.
I don’t see it. Once Page has a less explosive foe in front of him, he sticks and moves to capture the second and third round on the scorecards.
Prediction: Page via decision
Welterweight: Punahele Soriano (-250) vs. Daniil Donchenko (+190)Best Win for Soriano? Uros Medic For Donchenko? Alex Morono
Current Streak: Soriano has won four straight, while Donchenko has won three in a row inside the UFC
X-Factor: Donchenko’s takedown defense is still fairly unproven
How these two match up: This should be a quality scrap.
Soriano is following the long-established trend of Welterweight being the home of great wrestle-boxers. The Southpaw has a nasty lunging left hand (see above) and a powerful double-leg takedown, which pair like chocolate and peanut butter. Since dropping to 170 pounds, Soriano’s ability to control opponents from top position has been much more consistent. Donchenko, meanwhile, is an exciting and crafty striker. He maintains a high pace and attacks all levels, using his combinations to set up sneaky high kicks that often catch his opposition unaware.
We really haven’t seen Donchenko face any wrestles the calibre of Soriano, which muddies the waters significantly. He’s the slicker customer on the feet, but Soriano has been more than content to impose his physicality on opponents with relentless grinding. His left hand is powerful enough that is must be respected (ask Uros Medic), which goes a long way in disguising his takedown entries.
If Soriano starts aggressively, he should be able to render Donchenko defensive early and put himself in the driver’s seat. I’m just not sure Donchenko has the tight, powerful boxing necessary to stand his ground without giving up his hips in the process.
Prediction: Soriano via decision
Featherweight: Morgan Charriere (+150) vs. Felipe Lima (-194)Best Win for Charriere? Nate Landwehr For Lima? Miles Johns
Current Streak: Both men lost their last bout
X-Factor: Lima is heading back to 145 after a failed Bantamweight bid?
How these two match up: Two skilled fighters comfortable wherever the fight goes — what’s not to like?
Charriere, a former Cage Warriors champion, is a range striker first and foremost, known for his powerful body kicks and heavy counter shots. Despite his preference for kickboxing, Charriere is a slick grappler with solid takedown defense as well. Lima is more of a generalist. He keeps a high pace, using combinations to set up kicks and double leg takedowns alike.
I’m expecting the wrestling skills of each man to largely cancel out, leaving us with a striking battle. At long range, Charriere is the more powerful kicker and might even have a speed advantage. However, Lima is the superior boxer and generally builds combinations more effectively. That said, each can compete in the other’s stronger area.
Ultimately, Lima seems to have the higher ceiling of the two. He also puts it all together better than “The Last Pirate,” meaning that he’s more likely to score a takedown between the two. It’ll be competitive, but Lima should be able to stay on the front foot, throw more, and maybe land some control time en route to a decision victory.
Prediction: Lima via decision
Featherweight: Losene Keita (-390) vs. Muhammad Naimov (+280)Best Win for Keita? Predrag Bogdanović For Naimov? Nathaniel Wood
Current Streak: Keita recently lost his UFC debut, while Naimov lost his last bout
X-Factor: Keita’s back is to the wall after a weight miss and debut loss
How these two match up: This is likely to play out as a striker vs. wrestler matchup, even if both men have well-rounded skills.
Keita is definitely the kickboxer here, the superior knockout artist with much more fluid combinations. His loss to Wood demonstrated a struggle to build offense against a defensively savvy opponent, but generally, Keita is quite nasty in unleashing combinations. “The Black Panther” is a noted body puncher, and he does great work when able to pressure his foes to the fence. Naimov, conversely, tends to prefer low-volume fights where a couple takedowns decide the difference. He’s a smart tactician, able to limit his opponent’s offense and force them to play his game.
This feels like a great rebound booking for Keita. Naimov doesn’t have the head movement or footwork of Wood and thus will struggle to avoid exchanging with the more powerful striker. If “Hillman” tries to wrestle, Keita should be able to pull him up off the waist and then unleash combinations before Naimov can escape back to distance.
Keita has thus far struggled to get his UFC career going, but he rights the ship in Paris.
