5 things to watch out for at UFC Fight Night: Renato Moicano vs. Benoit Saint Denis
This weekend will see the UFC visit Paris, France for the first time in a year. The Fight Night event the promotion will present promises to be a fun one.
UFC Fight Night: Renato Moicano vs. Benoit Saint Denis features some exciting fighters, high-level prospects, and hardened veterans all looking to make a mark.
Will this event be worth watching? It isn't a big-time pay-per-view, but it should definitely produce a number of talking points.
With that in mind, here are five things to watch out for at UFC Fight Night: Renato Moicano vs. Benoit Saint Denis.
#5. French favorites will be hoping to make a real mark in the UFC
Unsurprisingly for a UFC Fight Night event in Paris, this weekend's show features a heavily French flavor, with a number of local favorites looking to make their mark.
While everyone is aware of both Benoit Saint Denis and Nassourdine Imavov, can any of the other French fighters make a big impact this weekend? A number of them will be hoping to.
Four French fighters are set to feature on the main card this weekend, with William Gomis, Morgan Charriere, Kevin Jousset and Fares Ziam all looking to shine. Will any of them be able to break through the pack to become real prospects to watch?
Although Ziam and Jousset are both on winning runs in the octagon, they are both matched with tricky foes in Matt Frevola and Bryan Battle, respectively. It's more likely that Charriere and Gomis could be the ones to watch.
Charriere has looked excellent in his brief octagon run, even if he's coming off a loss. 'The Last Pirate' is an aggressive striker, and he'll probably be favored to beat Gabriel Miranda.
Gomis, meanwhile, is faced with a very tough opponent in Joanderson Brito, but 'The Jaguar' is already 3-0 in the octagon and has plenty of momentum.
The crowd will no doubt be behind all four men, so it'll be interesting to see if any of them can steal the show this weekend.
#4. Joanderson Brito could be a man to watch at featherweight
One fighter who is flying under the radar coming into this weekend's event is Brazilian featherweight Joanderson Brito.
Despite the fact that he's likely to face a hostile crowd as well as his foe William Gomis, though, there's every chance that 'Tubarao' could steal the show this weekend.
Brito is an overall 17-3 in MMA, and is currently riding a five-fight win streak in the UFC. More to the point, he hasn't been beating scrubs, as he has dispatched veteran Andre Fili and the underrated Jack Shore as part of his run.
Perhaps his most eye-opening win, though, came before his UFC career had started. Brito edged out Diego Lopes, currently the hottest 145-pounder in the sport, on Dana White's Contender Series to earn his spot with the promotion.
With deadly skills both standing and on the ground, Brito is capable of finishing his opponent at any time.
If he can take out Gomis this weekend, it might upset the French crowd, but it'd also announce him as a man to watch at featherweight. He's definitely one to keep an eye on.
#3. How will Brendan Allen's usual gameplan work against a wrestler as good as Nassourdine Imavov?
Right now, there are few hotter fighters in the UFC at middleweight than Brendan Allen.
'All In' has won his last seven bouts in a row to climb up to the No. 8 spot in the rankings, and a win over Nassourdine Imavov this weekend could see him crack the top five. Essentially, Allen isn't all that far away from a title shot. The only problem for him is how he gets past Imavov.
Allen's recent run has been based essentially around the same gameplan. He hunts for the clinch, drags his foe to the ground, and then takes their back to either dominate them or sink a fight-ending choke.
Of those seven wins in a row, in fact, five have come via rear-naked choke.
This weekend, though, he'll be faced with a fighter who, on paper at least, has the ability to resist his takedown.
According to the UFC's stats page, 'The Sniper' defends 74 percent of the takedowns attempted on him, and only powerful wrestler Phil Hawes has had success bringing him down.
If 'All In' cannot get this fight to the ground, then, he'll be faced with a seemingly far heavier hitter, and could well see his winning streak snapped.
If Allen wants to come out on top, then, he may well need to switch up his usual gameplan and look for something different. Seeing exactly how he looks to do this will make for one of the night's most intriguing bouts.
#2. Can Renato Moicano go on the best run of his UFC career?
Considering he's never quite climbed into contention for either the lightweight or featherweight titles, Renato Moicano's UFC career has lasted for a surprisingly lengthy time.
The Brazilian's octagon debut came way back in December 2014, when he dispatched Tom Niinimaki via rear-naked choke.
Since then, Moicano has fought some big-name fighters, he's headlined events, and he's also had his fair share of ups and downs.
One thing he's never quite managed, though, is to go on a truly dominant winning streak in the octagon. The longest winning run he's managed is three fights in a row.
That could change this weekend. Moicano has beaten Brad Riddell, Drew Dober and Jalin Turner, and a win over Benoit Saint Denis in this weekend's headliner would move him onto four.
It definitely won't be easy for him. Saint Denis is the kind of aggressive striker that has given Moicano trouble before. The Brazilian will also no doubt be met by a very hostile crowd.
If he can win, though, not only will he be on the best run of his UFC career, he could also be elevated into the top 10 at 155 pounds. Considering his longevity and the fact that he's 35 years old, that'd be hugely impressive.
#1. How will Benoit Saint Denis bounce back from his loss to Dustin Poirier?
The big star at this weekend's event will undoubtedly be France's own Benoit Saint Denis.
The No. 12-ranked lightweight in the UFC thrilled the fans in Paris the last time he fought there by violently dispatching Thiago Moises. It was, at the time, his fourth win in a row, and his fourth via finish too.
Unfortunately for 'God of War', his winning streak ended abruptly in March when he made a big step up in competition against Dustin Poirier. Despite a strong start, Saint Denis faded against the battle-hardened veteran, and was eventually stopped in the second round.
Naturally, there's no shame in a loss to Poirier. 'The Diamond' is one of the best 155-pounders on the planet.
How Saint Denis will bounce back, though, is a fair question. Not only was he beaten by Poirier, but he also saw a fighter take the best shots he had to offer and come back at him, and he failed to win in his first real step up to the elite level.
His opponent this weekend, Renato Moicano, is not as good as Poirier. The Brazilian is still probably the second-best opponent that the Frenchman has ever faced in the UFC, though.
If 'God of War' can bounce back and take out Moicano, his dreams of a climb into title contention will come alive again. If he loses, though, it's likely he'll be reduced to an exciting but limited contender who stars on lower-end events for the remainder of his tenure.
Essentially, Saint Denis is at a crossroads this weekend, and which way he'll go is the biggest question coming into this event.