Paris, France is the host city for his week’s UFC Fight night production.
This fight card is scheduled for thirteen bouts highlighting an international set of combatants many of whom arrive to face the nine French athletes that will be competing on this slate.
Only five of the thirteen bouts are lined competitively, which is getting to be the case as the UFC continues to flood its roster with low end, unqualified and inexperienced athletes.
Last week favorites realized an 8-3 result pushing their results to a staggering 249-97-10 a 70% rate. Traditionally favorites win at about a 63% clip.
Regression? Let’s hope so, and soon.
Last week we banked the first leg of a two fighter parlay as Su Mudaerji won a decision against Alex Perez.
Su -215 in pocket provides readers with firm advantage on Arman Tsarukyan who is currently priced -380 (Tsarukyan fights Maurico Ruffy 9-18) as we hold Tsarukyan tickets at a net price of -115!
On to Paris
Dan Hooker + 400 vs. Salahdine Parnasse -500 Lightweight (155lbs.) main event
Parisian Parnasse makes a main event headline spot in his UFC debut.
Unusual as that appears, the fact is Parnasse arrives to the UFC fairly well credentialed after having earned two titles in KSW at featherweight and lightweight.
He is trained in boxing, BJJ and Mauy Thai and is a highly athletic fighter who uses movement, angles and grappling all to his advantage in fights.
Parnasse as a mixed martial artist stands 23-2 with eight wins via KO seven via submission and another eight via decision.
The one issue I can uncover about Parnasse is that his level of competition is quite inadequate so Hooker, his opponent sets up as a substantial step up in competition based on the elites Hooker has traded against.
In from Australia is the aforementioned Dan ‘the Hangman’ Hooker to try to take the steam away from Parnasse’s Parisian debut. Hooker is currently the organizations twelfth ranked lightweight.
Hooker is a grizzled UFC veteran who has competed for better than a decade against the top talent in the lightweight division of the UFC.
Hooker’s motive is singular in purpose. Arrive to the cage, provide his adversary with an all out stand up war and hope the he, Hooker is the man who remains standing when the dust clears.
After defeating a ranked contender in Poland’s Mateusz Gamrot, Hooker has dropped his last two bouts to elite lightweight talent in Benoit Saint-Denis and Arman Tsarukyan.
Hooker will hold height and reach advantages as well he’s been the fighter that has competed against the more staunch competition.
Parnasse though inexperienced against UFC level competition is lightning fast, offers diversified fight weaponry and is eight years the younger combatant in this fight.
Hooker has been enlisted by the UFC to make this fight with the Frenchman in order to determine if Parnasse can cut the Poupon or not.
Hooker, who is closer in fight years to forty than his actual thirty-six years is more than up for this challenge despite the betting market investing Euro’s on a fighter I regard as relatively risky as a favorite here, Parnasse.
Parnasse will look to make an instant impression on the UFC with a sensational victory but is that and can that add to the pressure for this twenty-seven year old fighter stepping up in class and fighting in front of his fellow countrymen?
Parnasse has finished his last five opponents in a row and now steps up to be tested by a legitimate top fifteen UFC lightweight.
Somehow, someway I believe Hooker can make a fight of this!
Total in this fight stands: 3.5Rds Under -260
Fares Ziam -155 vs. Axel Sola +135 Lightweight co main event
This is a battle between Ziam from Lyon, France, and Sola from Nice, France.
Both of these lightweights are similar in height, reach and age, the difference between these two is that Sola is a southpaw which will add some complexity to this French fracas.
Ziam enters this fight off a loss to Tom Nolan while Sola corrected his loss to Mason Jones two fights back with a victory over Brazilian Ishmail Bonfim in his last outing.
Both of these men carry high risk/reward into this fight for the victor will more than likely be ranked and the loser will need to put more victories together in order to earn their way into the top fifteen.
Ziam has the UFC experience and he’s the more fluid moving well rounded fighter while Sola is a mean, aggressive, junk yard dog who needs to convert any fight into a filthy, a grimy brawl.
I handicap Sola to be the more forceful, stronger man in the cage and believe this price should be lined closer to a pick-em.
In a fight that could be the fight of the night, I’ll advise an investment in Axel Sola +140 to upset Fares Ziam this weekend in Paris.
Friday morning the ‘Bout business Podcast drops across all podcast platforms and on GambLou.com.
Catch my final releases for this week’s card there.
Enjoy the fights from France and Thank You for reading.