Finally, Paris got another UFC card after a year. Last time, Renato Moicano spoiled the party by beating Benoît Saint Denis in front of the French faithful. Well… not this time. La Ville Lumière turned into a full-blown celebration — every French fighter on the card walked away with a W 🥳. Yes, including Saint Denis “God of War” this time.

The Fighting Nerds Team, riding their hype train into Europe, showed up ready to make a statement. Instead? They walked out with matching L’s. The train stopped. Two fighters. Two losses. One harsh lesson: in the City of Light, it doesn’t take long for the spotlight to flip into the City of Night.

By the way, I must admit, the French MMA crowd was on fire inside the arena. Every punch, every takedown, every finish, even after match — they roared like it was World Cup night. Paris showed out.

Anyway, let’s diving dive.

📉 Caio Borralho vs. Nassourdine Imavov — The French Clinic

Caio Borralho came out “naturally” like a man possessed, pushing the pace and spamming takedown attempts. Problem? He went 0-for-5.

Meanwhile, Nassourdine Imavov stayed ice-cold, picked his shots like a surgeon, and cruised to a unanimous decision victory in front of the Paris crowd.

Borralho tried and brought the volume, but Imavov is called “The Sniper” for a reason — same pace, way higher accuracy, and totally took control over the match and on the scorecards. All three judges saw it clear:

• Derek Cleary: 50–45
• Ben Cartlidge: 49–46
• David Lethaby: 49–46

And that’s exactly what Paris cheered for: clean, efficient marksmanship.

📉 Ruffy vs. Benoît Saint Denis — The Storm in Paris

Benoît Saint Denis did what he does the best: march forward like a French war tank and drown you with pressure. Mauricio Ruffy — another Fighting Nerd — spent fight week clowning Sambo with the line,

“Train Sambo if you want to put on a boring fight”

Well… in Paris, the only thing that got killed was his hype. Not “Sambo kills MMA” those casual fans keeps crying nonstop since Khabib Nurmagomedov era or something else.

BSD dragged him to the mat over and over, then locked in a rear-naked choke in Round 2. Ruffy never got a chance to flash that wannabe Conor McGregor boxing style. The crowd erupted like it was Bastille Day, while Mauricio Ruffy tapped and swallowed his humble pie.

And the best part? That wasn’t even Sambo — it was a French grappler with a strong blend of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling. Ruffy still had no answers.

🖼 The Bigger Picture — Tough Night for the Fighting Nerds

Both Caio Borralho and Mauricio Ruffy came repping the Fighting Nerds Team, and both walked out of Paris with L’s. The stats told the story:

• Borralho tried push the pace and spammed takedowns but couldn’t land a single one.
• Ruffy got mauled, choked, and humbled after his “Sambo makes MMA boring” trash talk backfired.
• Imavov and Saint Denis? Calm, clinical, and fueled by a roaring French crowd.

For Benoît Saint Denis, this win is another step back up the ladder after tough losses to Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano in 2024.

And for Nassourdine Imavov, this victory is a clear statement: he’s in line for a middleweight title shot with a clean KO over Izzy, and now humble the new hype train.

But hey… don’t get your hopes too high. This is the UFC. Reinier de Ridder vs. Anthony Hernandez in October could easily throw another wrench into the division.

And for the Fighting Nerds Team, the story isn’t over. Two members just had their win streaks snapped in Paris, but the other two are stepping into their own big challenges:

• Jean Silva is booked against fellow Brazilian Diego Lopes next week — Lopes is fresh off losing his title shot against Volkanovski, so Silva has the chance to steal some shine.
• Carlos Prates will test his hype in November when he meets Leon Edwards, after riding the momentum from his spinning elbow KO back in August.

So the question is: will the Fighting Nerds keep the hype alive, or will 2025 be the year their train officially derails?

After all, Paris wasn’t just another fight card — it was a reality check. The Fighting Nerds came to conquer, but they left with homework.

👉 Your turn: Who’s to blame for the Fighting Nerds’ rough night — bad game plans, nerves in enemy territory, or just better French execution? Drop your hot take in the comments 👊🇫🇷