UFC Fight Night 258 Live Winners and Losers, Results
Another month. Another stamp on the passport.
The UFC returned from its Labor Day hiatus with another international show, following a trip to China in late August with an early September jaunt to Paris for a 13-bout card headlined by a pair of middleweight contenders.
Russian-born Nassourdine Imavov, whose family moved to France when he was a child, performed in front of the adopted home folks and risked his No. 2 ranking at 185 pounds against seventh-ranked Brazilian foe Caio Borralho.
Imavov had won four straight fights since the start of 2024, including a second-round finish of former champ Israel Adesanya in February that significantly boosted his profile. Borralho, meanwhile, was the middleweight face of the popular "Fighting Nerds" training team and arrived having won seven official UFC outings since a pair of wins on Dana White's Contender Series in 2021.
B/R's combat team was in position to take in all the action from a card that featured a UFC record nine knockouts and delivered a real-time list of the event's definitive winners and losers. Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought of your own in the app comments.
Loser: Tumult over Tedium
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Though the frenzied atmosphere of the Accor Arena crowd and interpersonal enmity between Imavov and Borralho made the main event seem a lock for tumult, the encounter between two high-IQ, risk-averse operators would up being far more tactical than tornadic.
Which meant a guy carrying the "Sniper" nickname was right in his competitive wheelhouse.
Relying far more on quick hands and precise countering and far less on fighting fire with fire, Imavov controlled the pace and kept his surging opponent at a manageable distance for most of their 25 minutes together while capturing a well-deserved decision in the middleweight showdown.
The official scores were 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46, all in the winner's favor.
B/R's W/L card matched two of the three, giving Imavov rounds one, two, four and five.
"Considering the circumstances I'm really happy with my performance," he said. "I would've liked to get the finish, but I'm satisfied with it as it is."
The win presumably puts Imavov in line for a shot at new champion Khamzat Chimaev, who took the title from Dricus Du Plessis last month. Imavov arrived ranked second only to Du Plessis, and his defeat of Borralho extended his win streak to five—tied with Chimaev for second longest in the division.
"I am next. Absolutely, no hesitation," Imavov said. "It's been 10 years (Borralho) was unbeaten and I beat him. And I beat him with style."
Indeed, Imavov landed 69 head strikes from distance to Borralho's 28 and successfully defended each of the Brazilian's five takedown attempts. It was Borralho's first loss in the UFC and first anywhere since his second career fight in 2015.
"Nassourdine was a better man today," Borralho said. "He was very fast. I could not attack that much. I tried to strike with one of the best strikers in the world."
Winner: Turning It Around
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It had been a while since Benoît Saint Denis had his world-class swagger.
But all it took was a return home and a stern test to remind the Frenchman of his world-class chops, which he convincingly showed with a second-round submission of streaking Brazilian lightweight Mauricio Ruffy in Saturday's co-main event before an adoring crowd.
Analyst Michael Bisping quickly labeled it the biggest win of the 29-year-old's career.
A veteran of the French military, Saint Denis was 5-1 in his first six UFC fights before losing via second-round TKO to Dustin Poirier on the UFC 299 card in Miami and again in the second round to Renato Moicano on a Fight Night show six months later.
He'd rallied with a submission of Kyle Prepolec at UFC 315 in Montreal earlier this year, but was a significant underdog against Ruffy, who'd won three straight fights since debuting with a Contender Series triumph in 2023.
It was no contest once the two came together, though, and Saint Denis' aggression and pursuit of takedowns were too much for his opponent to contend with, eventually leading to the takedown and the rear-naked choke that drew a surrender from Ruffy at 2:56 of the second.
"With these kinds of guys, sometimes the media hypes them up a bit," Saint Denis said. "At the end of the day its two guys in a cage and they fight."
Loser: Going Out Groggy
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It was the kind of shot that either makes you a fan of MMA or is why you never watch it.
It's apparently the kind that makes one change professions, too.
Scottish veteran Paul Craig was flat on his back, defending strikes from a hovering Modestas Bukauskas as the first round wound down, but the last one was the one that mattered.
And as his foe's right elbow crashed hard into Craig's left temple and left him instantly semi-conscious and leaking blood, it also turned the lights out on the 37-year-old's career.
"In this sport the young eat the old," Craig said, "and I'm old."
The savage blow yielded a stoppage win for Bukauskas at the round's final horn and triggered Craig's decision to lay his gloves down in the center of the mat, a traditional signal of retirement.
It's the end of the line after 20 UFC fights for Craig, who frequently jumped between middleweight and light heavyweight but finished on a skid, going 0-4 with a no contest across his final five fights since a defeat of André Muniz on a Fight Night show in London in July 2023.
"Thank you so much for the memories," he said to the Paris crowd. "This is why I do this."
Winner: Forecasting Ferocity
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Analyst Paul Felder looked at his fight card, found the matchup of lightweights Bolaji Oki and Mason Jones, and immediately considered it a shoo-in for Fight of the Night honors.
Turns out the fighter once known as "Iron Lung" is a pretty good forecaster, too.
The scrap between the Belgian and the Welshman was a banger from the jump, with Jones rallying from a near-finish courtesy of Oki's fists in the first round before getting an end of his own at 3:18 of the second after he bombarded his grounded foe with a series of punishing elbows.
"We started slow, it happens sometimes," Jones said. "I bruise, I cut I swell, but it's nothing bad. He slowed down. I didn't."
Indeed, Jones benefitted from the patience of referee Rich Mitchell to stay in the fight and closed the first round chasing a submission via kimura. He was happy to lock up with Oki in the second and tossed him to the mat with a judo throw before getting in position for the finishing strikes.
"I would have been happy to stay on the feet. I just like to cause damage," Jones said. "But he wanted to wrestle so I thought I'd show him how to wrestle."
Tie: Beginner's Luck
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UFC debuts can be tricky business. And there's no guarantee of success.
But Frenchman Axel Sola made the most of his first octagonal trip with a sudden third-round finish of Rhys McKee that came soon after he landed a hard body shot that crumpled McKee to the floor.
The 27-year-old from Nice in the country's southern region had gone 5-0-1 in the Ares FC promotion and was in tough against the rugged, aggressive McKee before the body blow yielded a knockdown and a follow-up barrage forced the hand, perhaps prematurely, of referee Herb Dean at 2:02.
"He was really resilient. I was hitting him, he was bleeding, but he wasn't really stopping," Sola said. "I've got various tools to use when an opponent is coming forward. I tried going to the body and it worked."
Sola's debut was the second straight on Saturday's main card, coming one fight after Polish featherweight Robert Ruchała dropped a unanimous decision to local favorite William Gomis.
Ruchała had gone 8-1 over nine fights in the KSW promotion.
"I'm just really happy," Sola said, "because it's such an honor to make my UFC debut on such an amazing card."
Winner: Hometown Heroics
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You can watch a lot of UFC fights and never hear a crowd get any louder than the one in Paris did for the prelim feature arrival of city-born hero Oumar Sy.
Blow-by-blow man John Gooden said the din reached 105 decibels as the fans serenaded their favorite with the French national anthem early in his fight with Brendson Ribeiro, and Sy rewarded them soon after with a TKO stoppage at 4:42 of the first round.
It was a third win in four UFC outings and 12th in 13 as a pro for the 29-year-old, who'd dropped a decision to Alonzo Menifield on a Fight Night show three months ago but rallied against Ribeiro for his eighth career first-round finish.
"I'm here in Paris. This is my home," he said. "The energy and positivity everyone gave me. If I could kiss every here I would. This is the real me and I'm back."
Sy took Ribeiro down early and landed some damaging strikes, then got him down again at the 3:30 mark and ended matters soon after with a flurry of hard right hands.
"I want someone in the top 15," he said. "I can't wait to prove myself."
Winner: Delayed Gratification
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Ladies and gentlemen, there's a new UFC heavyweight to watch.
Croatian slugger Ante Delija made an impressive debut with the promotion and settled a decade-old score in the process with a first-round demolition of No. 7 contender Marcin Tybura.
"That was something. Keep an eye on this guy," Bisping said. "I'm really excited to see the future of this guy. I think he offers a lot to the heavyweight division."
Delija met Tybura in the M-1 Challenge organization in 2015 and was stopped by injury when he broke his leg on a kick. He resumed his career three years later and was a champion with the PFL promotion in 2022 before finally making the jump to the big leagues.
He staggered Tybura this time with a hard left hand then brought on the intervention from referee Marc Goddard at 2:03 after a series of follow-up strikes. The 35-year-old greeted the wave-off by falling to his knees and bursting into tears.
"I worked 20 years for this moment," Delija said. "This is my dream."
Winner: Happy Heel Turn
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Some guys are sensitive to the boos. Kauê Fernandes reveled in them.
The Brazilian lightweight was clearly a villain as he walked to the cage to face short-notice opponent Harry Hardwick, enthusiastically gesturing to the crowd to up its volume.
And once he'd dispatched the visiting Englishman with a brutal torrent of leg kicks—yielding the 19th leg kick finish in UFC history—he continued to perform through the loathing.
"I'm sorry Paris. I love you, but I did what I had to do," he said. "I had my speed and my power in the kicks. In my mind I have the best kicks in the division."
Hardwick, who took the fight on four days' notice when Fares Ziam pulled out due to personal reasons, was dropped for the final time with a kick to the right leg and left the cage in a wheelchair.
"I am a soldier of the UFC," Fernandes said. "I want to continually improve and show who I am to the division. They will see this."
Winner: Predictably Prompt
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Lanky Sam Patterson was in against another tall welterweight in Trey Waters and the first few minutes of their fight devolved into a tedious fencing match with both men probing for an opening.
But given the Brit's recent history, what came next shouldn't have surprised anyone.
A hard right hand over the top instantly rendered the 6'5" Waters nearly defenseless on his feet and a follow-up barrage forced Mitchell's hand at 3:01 of the first round.
It was Patterson's fourth straight first-round finish after he was dumped in a single round in his UFC debut two years ago, and it left him succinctly menacing in his post-fight comments.
"Hard work, that's what the secret is," he said, before a claim for a performance bonus and a call out of divisional gatekeeper Neil Magny. "Hard work, every damned day. Figure him out and take him out, that was the game plan."
Loser: Veteran Privilege
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Perhaps he anticipated some leeway.
But if Brad Tavares was truly upset that his middleweight scrap with Robert Bryczek was stopped at 1:43 of the third round, he didn't have a lot of competitive leverage.
The 37-year-old was fortunate to survive a prolonged onslaught in a one-sided first round, so, once the Polish slugger began landing in succession once again in Round 3, it was hardly surprising that referee Lukasz Bosacki intervened and ended matters.
Things had been going better for Tavares, who'd earned the second round with movement and sharpshooting and had landed a hard left kick to the body early in the third. But, once Bryczek connected with a hard right hand that drove Tavares back to the fence, the end was near.
"I'm not surprised mother f—kers," Bryczek said. "I just want to prove that this fight was not an accident. I have legendary Polish power."
Winner: Choosing Kindness
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Maybe nice guys can finish first after all.
Russian welterweight Rinat Fakhretdinov was chastised by trainers for being too friendly with opponents, including taking photos with them before fights and touching gloves inside the cage.
But his apparent kindness was no hindrance on Saturday when a barrage of stand-up strikes, including kicks, elbows and punches left opponent Andreas Gustafsson helpless and unable to continue after just 54 seconds of the first round.
Incidentally, the two fighters embraced after the stoppage.
It was Fakhretdinov's sixth win alongside a draw in seven UFC fights and the finish, his second with the promotion, gave him a chance to jab at critics, too.
"There were people out there saying I couldn't end fights and couldn't get finishes," he said. "Where are they now?"
Winner: Taking the Throne
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For one night anyway, Sam Hughes was the queen of Paris.
The Dallas-based strawweight had the stage to herself in the only women's fight of the night and she took aggressive advantage, punishing Irish import Shauna Bannon for nearly every moment of their show-opening encounter before sealing the deal with a rear-naked choke at 1:58 of Round 2.
It was a third straight win and sixth in 11 UFC fights since 2020 for the 33-year-old, who entered the cage as a betting favorite (-265) for the first time and was in full-on thank you mode afterward.
"You guys keep flying me to these bomb a-s places," said Hughes, who'd previously traveled for fights in Mexico City and Abu Dhabi, "so I'm full of gratitude. I'm happy."
Loser: Pitbull Progression
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Patricio Pitbull is a man in need of momentum. Still.
He arrived amid much fanfare in the spring but was decisively beaten by Yair Rodriguez in his debut at UFC 314. He rallied with a decision over veteran Dan Ige three months later at UFC 318 and was hoping a trip to Paris would speed a climb into the upper tier at featherweight.
But instead of a spotlight victory over Belgian Losene Keita, Pitbull was left outside of the fence looking in after the former Oktagon MMA champ missed weight by three pounds on Friday and Pitbull refused to agree to an amended bout at a catchweight.
"I'm absolutely sure he didn't try (to cut the three pounds)," Pitbull said. "At 9 a.m., he weighed-in, he was over, and instead of trying until 11 a.m., which is the limit, he was eating baby food. F--k you, man. If you want to blame anyone, blame my opponent."
Full Card Results
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Main Card
Nassourdine Imavov def. Caio Borralho by unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46)
Benoît Saint Denis def. Mauricio Ruffy by submission (rear-naked choke), 2:56, Round 2
Modestas Bukauskas def. Paul Craig by KO (elbow), 5:00, Round 1
Mason Jones def. Bolaji Oki by TKO (elbows), 3:18, Round 2
Axel Sola def. Rhys McKee by TKO (punch), 2:02, Round 3
William Gomis def. Robert Ruchała by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Preliminary Card
Oumar Sy def. Brendson Ribeiro by TKO (punches), 4:42, Round 1
Ante Delija def. Marcin Tybura by KO (punches), 2:03, Round 1
Kauê Fernandes def. Harry Hardwick by TKO (kick), 3:21, Round 1
Sam Patterson def. Trey Waters by TKO (punches), 3:01, Round 1
Robert Bryczek def. Brad Tavares by TKO (punches), 1:43, Round 3
Rinat Fakhretdinov def. Andreas Gustafsson by TKO (punches), 0:54, Round 1
Sam Hughes def. Shauna Bannon by submission (rear-naked choke), 1:58, Round 2
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