UFC Paris Delivers Exciting Prelims Labor Day Weekend!

UFC Paris fight week is here. As the calendar turns to the month of September and the Labor Day weekend is upon us, the summer season is making its last stand, but although the autumnal equinox is a few weeks away, the action inside the Octagon is still red hot.

Live coverage of this week's UFC event begins Saturday at 12 noon ET/ 9 am PT with the prelims from Accor Arena in Paris. Main card action caps the day at 3 pm ET/ 12 noon PT on Paramount Plus.  

All told, 14 fights will be contested on the day. Expect heavy French representation on Saturday night in UFC Paris, with nine fighters from France competing inside the Octagon, including an all-France showdown at women's bantamweight on the undercard between No. 13 contender Nora Cornolle and Klaudia Sygula.

UFC Paris Featured Prelim: Morgan Charriere vs. Felipe Lima: Charriere with Important "Home Game" Saturday

At the top of the bill for Saturday's prelims, featherweight action will be on the menu when Morgan Charriere (21-12-1 MMA, 3-3 UFC) collides with Felipe Lima (14-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC.) All fights mentioned herein are an advertised three rounds at five minutes per round.

Charriere, an alumnus of Cage Warriors, enters UFC Paris on Saturday with a 2-3 record in his last five fights dating back to the spring of 2024. Last December, he was on the wrong end of a first-round knockout by way of head kick from Melquizael Costa (26-8 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in UFC Vegas 112, the final UFC show to air on ESPN's properties.

While that contest was in the United States of America, this one is on home soil for Morgan Charriere. It's always a boon for a fighter to win in front of his fellow countrymen, so can he do just that on Saturday?

Felipe Lima Makes First Walk in More than 14 Months

Across the way, Felipe Lima enters this featured prelim on the strength of a 4-1 mark in his last five appearances. In June of last year, he saw his 14-fight winning streak snapped against Payton Talbott (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) by unanimous decision after 15 minutes of action.

While a fighter is dangerous when he's on an extended winning streak, he can be just as brutal when he's coming in off of a loss after a sustained winning streak, which is what Felipe Lima is doing in UFC Paris. Can he rebound from his defeat after more than a year away?

Tune into the UFC Paris featured prelim and find out.

UFC Paris Co-Featured Prelim: Mario Pinto vs. Ryan Spann: Pinto Hunting for 13th Straight Win

Immediately prior to the featured prelim, the co-featured undercard bout takes place at heavyweight when Mario Pinto (12-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) fights Ryan Spann (24-11 MMA, 10-6 UFC.) Pinto has yet to lose as a professional fighter. A quarter of his pro wins have come under the UFC promotional banner.

Last time out, he scored a unanimous decision victory over Felipe Franco (11-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in UFC London back on March 21. For some people, the number 13 is considered unlucky.

Another win for Mario Pinto in the UFC Paris co-featured prelim would net him his 13th. If this is to be the case, it'll certainly be a lucky number.

Ryan Spann Eager to Build Off of Knockout Win in UFC Paris

Meanwhile, Ryan Spann enters UFC Paris with a record of 3-2 in his last five outings. At present, he's won two fights in a row. 

On April 25, he trekked to Meta Apex in Enterprise, NV for a contest versus Marcus Buchecha (5-3-1 MMA, 0-2-1 UFC,) finishing him inside the second round of action with a right cross. In so doing, he pocketed $50,000 (USD) for the Performance of the Night Award.

Anytime a fighter picks up a win by way of stoppage and secures a post-fight bonus as a result of the victory, he'll be hungry to try for another bonus. Whether or not he's able to receive another bonus remains to be seen.

UFC Paris: Oumar Sy vs. Modestas Bukauskas: Sy Looking to Rebound

Also on UFC Paris' undercard, the light heavyweights go to war for a fight between Oumar Sy (12-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and Modestas Bukauskas (20-7 MMA, 8-5 UFC.) Sy enters UFC Paris sporting a 3-2 record in his last five contests.

On March 14, he was on the receiving end of a first-round submission by way of mounted guillotine choke versus Ion Cutelaba (20-12-1, 1 NC MMA, 9-11-1 UFC) inside Meta Apex. Sy is one of the nine fighters based out of France competing on UFC Paris.

Expect a partisan crowd rooting him on when the cage door closes on Saturday night.

Modestas Bukauskas Seeks to Make Paris Crowd Leave Unhappy

In the other corner, Modestas Bukauskas enters UFC Paris with a 4-1 record in his last five bouts. On May 16 at Meta Apex, he eked out a split decision win over Christian Edwards (8-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in the latter's promotional debut.

That contest occurred at a catchweight of 215 lbs after  Rodolfo Bellato, who was to have faced Bukauskas, withdrew from the event. Now that he'll be back to his normal fighting weight of 205 lbs, one question remains:

Does Bukauskas give a reason for the audience inside Accor Arena a reason to leave the building with long faces?

Rest of the Prelims

UFC Paris' undercard is rounded out by the following fights:

• A featherweight contest between Nathaniel Wood (23-6 MMA, 11-0 UFC) and Pavel Andrusca (8-0 MMA, UFC promotional debut,)
• a flyweight bout matching Fabia Sintes (11-3 MMA, UFC promotional debut) with Michael Alarouj (13-3, 2 NC MMA, UFC promotional debut,)
• the aforementioned women's bantamweight contest versing No. 13 contender Nora Cornolle (9-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) with Klaudia Sygula (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC,)
• a middleweight fight pairing Matthieu Duclos (10-3 MMA, UFC promotional debut) against Luis Felipe Dias (17-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC,)
• and a strawweight affair matching Delphine Benoaich (7-2 MMA, UFC promotional debut) with Sofia Montenegro (6-2 MMA, UFC promotional debut.)