SPORTS BUSINESS OBSERVATORY – This Saturday, September 28th, is the third edition of the long-awaited UFC Paris. The two previous events were a sell-out, with once again an expected sold-out evening.
As we come out of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the fervour around sport remains intact in France and the Accor Arena will be The Place To Be with more than 15,000 spectators expected and millions of viewers on RMC and pay-per-view to see Benoît Saint-Denis at home and in the main event against the Brazilian Renato Moicano.
The UFC was talked about more than fifteen years ago. We worked on it more than 10 years ago and we hoped for it almost 5 years ago with the full and total recognition of the discipline which is structured under the aegis of the French Boxing Federation.
For this third landing on French soil, the places were gone in a few minutes and the supporters can be proud to have won the sesame to support the Frenchman Benoît Saint-Denis in his quest for victories without forgetting the other athletes like Taylor Lapilus, Morgan Charrière, Oumar Sy, William Gomis, Nora Cornolle, Kevin Jousset, Fares Ziam or even Nassourdine Imanov in co main event. Nicknamed the sniper with a counter of 18 fights including seven that he finished in the first round
If someone had told me fifteen years ago when I was asking Dana White about the conquest of France that we would have a card with so many names and possible Marseillaises to ring out in one of the most beautiful venues there is… I wouldn’t have necessarily believed it. And yet, here we are. Benoît Saint-Denis as the flag bearer of a team that is complete and ready to get the crowd going.
BSD, In the name of his own
At not even 30 years old, the man who calls himself the God of War has managed to seduce the French public but also to conquer the hearts of international supporters with a philosophy that fans of free combat particularly appreciate: win or perish.
Benoît Saint-Denis, a young father, returns to headline the Accor Arena in Bercy just a few months after his defeat in the octagon last March against Justin Poirier in Miami. Losing a fight is not losing the war. Determined to give his best, he has prepared to be there here at home.
With a record of 15 fights for 13 victories in the UFC, the Frenchman remains feared in the circuit for his ability to deliver intense opposition without sparing himself. Alongside his team, he pursues his dream: to give his best and take on challenges one after the other in a sport that combines a sense of duty, honor and combat.
Values that he carries and shares with his family, in particular his wife Laura, herself a committed athlete, present at his side in this sporting and human adventure with, for the Frenchman, a desire to return to his roots and to remain focused on the essential.
Photo Mediaspolis
On Saturday evening, he will be keen to accomplish his mission and before him, other ambassadors and soldiers of sport will come to give their best, notably Nora Cornolle, who we are always pleased to see again in France. The one who does not give up, will not give up and will try once again to impose herself in front of her public.
A little over a year ago, in the same place, she emerged victorious from a spectacular fight against Joselyne Edwards during which she managed to escape a submission. This Saturday for UFC Fight Night, she finds herself facing the Brazilian Jacqueline Cavalcanti, whom she knows from having faced her in 2021. Nora will have a new challenge to take on, taking with her all the young girls who dream of entering the octagon in turn.
Because yes, it is a question of business and the figures prove the UFC right, which is establishing itself as the leader in the MMA market with fightcards that are always anticipated and followed and more than 282 million dollars in turnover for the 4th quarter in 2023, what is also important to us is the construction of the discipline, its structuring and the support of athletes in France.
(Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
We have fought so hard, each at our own humble level, so that the discipline is fully recognised and those who practice it taken into consideration and supported up to the highest level that we can only be proud of the atmosphere which already promises to be unique, even historic.
Saturday night, our French must shine. Rest assured that they will enter the arena with the passion and determination that have driven them for so many years after having fought in the four corners of the world in front of an audience that is not always easy or even hostile. Saturday night, it’s tiiiime to shine for the Frenchies. Careers made of conquest and self-denial that must be encouraged. And valued.
