For the first time in almost a year, the UFC touches down in Paris for another thrilling Fight Night card, UFC Paris, topped by a phenomenal middleweight pairing between French standout Nassourdine Imavov and Brazil’s own Caio Borralho. In the penultimate bout of the evening, fellow hometown star Benoît Saint Denis will endeavor to halt the advance of the surging Maurício Ruffy.
UFC Paris Main Event
Following a short notice light heavyweight bout against Sean Strickland in 2023, Imavov has remained perfect in the Octagon ahead of UFC Paris. Barring a controversial no contest in his match with Chris Curtis at UFC 29, “The Sniper” has won four of his last five fights, attaining notable victories over Jared Cannonier, Brendan Allen and previous champion Israel Adesanya.
Currently enjoying a sixteen-bout winning streak, Borralho has proven himself as a legitimate contender at middleweight, capturing key triumphs against stalwart opposition in Abus Magomedov, Paul Craig and Cannonier. At this point in time, no Fighting Nerd representative has fought for a UFC title, but should he get the win on Saturday in UFC Paris, “The Natural” could earn his place in a pay-per-view main event next year.
UFC Paris Co-Main Event
Making the trip out to his home country after nearly a year, Saint Denis enters his second tilt of 2025 with a lot of pressure stacked upon him after having suffered a bloody beatdown against Renato Moicano in front of his fellow Frenchmen last year. Now seemingly revitalized following a tap out win over Kyle Prepolec back in May, “God of War” is seeking to redeem himself on familiar soil with a second consecutive impressive performance in UFC Paris.
One of the leading figures on the now esteemed Fighting Nerd team, Ruffy catapulted himself into stardom at lightweight by flooring divisional luminary King Green with a hellacious spinning wheel kick. Back to capitalize on his momentum, “One Shot” is eager to prove that lighting can, indeed, strike the same place twice with another dominant showing in UFC Paris on his warpath to UFC gold.
More Bouts On the Main Card
Rounding out the UFC Paris main card, Modestas Bukauskas meets veteran light heavyweight fighter Paul Craig. Then, promising lightweight prospects Bolaji Oki and Mason Jones come to blows to determine who will be the next budding star in the weight category. Also, four-time defending Ares FC 155-lb king Axel Sola moves up a division to battle Rhys McKee. Finally, French featherweight William Gomis grapples with former KSW Interim Champion Robert Ruchala.
UFC Paris Predictions and Staff Picks
MMASucka staff picks are composed of four of the world’s leading mixed martial arts organizations: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional Fighters League (PFL), ONE Championship (ONE FC), and Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS).
- UFC picks will include main card fights ranging from four to six matchups per event.
- PFL picks from main cards for pay-per-views and from tournament fights in the Regular Season, Playoffs, and Finals.
- ONE FC and DWCS picks will feature all MMA fights from the event with a minimum of three matchups.
The individual who picks the most victorious fighters by the end of 2025 will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a detailed chain from Championship Chains. Staff picks in 2023 were won by Ben Jamieson with a record of 300-148.
Find our UFC Paris picks and fight odds below.
Staff records after Dana White’s Contender Series Ep. 80:
- Hank Strandberg: 152-83
- Drew Zuhosky: 118-117
- Frazer Krohn: 115-83
- Jeremy Brand: 112-80
- Andrew Benjamin: 32-90
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
William Gomis -260
Vs.
Robert Ruchala +220
FEATHERWEIGHT
Jeremy Brand: Gomis by Unanimous Decision
Hank Strandberg: Gomis by Unanimous Decision
Drew Zuhosky: Ruchala by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn:
Staff picking Gomis: 2
Staff picking Ruchala: 1
Sola Axel -130
Vs.
Rhys McKee +110
WELTERWEIGHT
Jeremy Brand: Sola by Unanimous Decision
Hank Strandberg: Sola by Unanimous Decision
Drew Zuhosky: McKee by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Kron: McKee by Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Sola: 2
Staff picking McKee: 2
Mason Jones -135
Vs.
Bolaji Oki +115
LIGHTWEIGHT
Jeremy Brand: Jones by Unanimous Decision
Hank Strandberg: Jones by Unanimous Decision
Drew Zuhosky: Jones by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Kron: Jones by Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Jones: 4
Staff picking Oki: 0
Modestas Bukauskas -350
Vs.
Paul Craig +285
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Jeremy Brand: Bukauskas by Second Round Knockout
Hank Strandberg: Bukauskas by Second Round Knockout
Drew Zuhosky: Craig by Third Round Knockout
Frazer Krohn: Bukauskas by Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Bukauskas: 3
Staff picking Craig: 1
Mauricio Ruffy -155
Vs.
Benoît Saint Denis +135
LIGHTWEIGHT
Jeremy Brand: Ruffy by Unanimous Decision
Hank Strandberg: Ruffy by Second Round Knockout
Drew Zuhosky: Ruffy by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Saint Denis by Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Ruffy: 3
Staff picking Saint Denis: 1
Caio Borralho -135
Vs.
Nassourdine Imavov +115
MIDDLEWEIGHT
Jeremy Brand: Borralho by Third Round TKO
Hank Strandberg: Borralho by Unanimous Decision
Drew Zuhosky: Borralho by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Kron: Imavov by Fourth Round Knockout
Staff picking Borralho: 3
Staff picking Imavov: 1
