After a week off, the UFC returns in a big way. Paris, France will host this Saturday’s Fight Night featuring a highly anticipated lightweight matchup between No. 11 Renato Moicano and No. 13 Benoit Saint Denis. This card will take place from the Accor Arena and will air on ESPN+ with the Prelims starting at noon ET and the Main Card at 3:00 p.m. ET.
This is the third time that the UFC is hosting an event in France after the sport was recently legalized in 2020. Last September Ciryl Gane knocked out Serghei Spivac in the second round while France’s own Benoit Saint Denis also had a second-round stoppage victory.
BSD returns home this weekend to face off against fellow rising star Renato Moicano. The last time we saw Saint Denis, he was brutally knocked out by legend Dustin Poirier at UFC 299 in March. Moicano on the other hand knocked out Jalin Turner in his last fight in April at UFC 300. Five of BSD’s six UFC fights have been stoppages while Moicano has gotten a finish in five of his last six wins.
The co-main event of this card is worthy of a main event as well. No. 4 Nassourdine Imavov is taking on No. 8 Brendan Allen in an important middleweight bout. Imavov has won five of his last six fights and most recently he beat former title challenger Jared Cannonier in June. Allen is on a seven-fight win streak with five submissions.
Here are my Best Bets for the card.
Benoit Saint Denis to win by KO/TKO or submission (-185)
BSD returns to his home country in France on Saturday for his first UFC Main Event. Saint Denis did get brutally knocked out in March by Dustin Poirier but he took a major step up in competition and fought one of the best UFC lightweights of all time. When Saint Denis makes his entrance at the Accor Arena, the crowd will give him a warm welcome and they will fully be on his side.
Moicano vs. Saint Denis has the potential to be a fight-of-the-year candidate at the end of 2024. The former member of the Army has that warrior mentality when he steps foot in the Octagon and has the kill-or-be-killed mindset. Although we have seen both fighters have exciting finishes on the feet lately, they are both skilled submission artists as well.
All 13 of Saint Denis’s 13 wins have come by finish. He has nine submissions and four knockouts in his MMA career. In the UFC, BSD is 6-2 with three KOs and two submissions. Both fighters stand at 5’11” but Moicano has a one-inch reach advantage. Saint Denis lands 54 percent of his significant strikes while Moicano only lands 48 percent of his. This event was built around the fan favorite, the ‘God of War’ and it is his fight to lose. If he wants to continue climbing up the rankings and keep his UFC Championship dream alive, then a highlight performance is necessary in front of his people.
Saint Denis is the -285 favorite while Moicano is +230 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Brendan Allen Moneyline (+180)
Allen is on a seven-fight win streak right now and has submitted five of his opponents in that period. Allen is facing another rising middleweight in Nassourdine Imavov. Imavov’s last win was somewhat controversial against Jared Cannonier. He was winning the fight but the ref stopped the contest too soon. Imavov has won five of his last six fights and his only loss comes to former champion, No. 1 Sean Strickland.
Allen’s last win came in April against Chris Curtis and although he won via split decision he avenged his loss to Curtis in 2021. The only knock on Allen at the moment is he hasn’t faced the level of opponents that Imavov has. Both fighters have a 75″ reach but Imavov has a one-inch height advantage.
Allen has averaged 1.74 takedowns per 15 minutes in his UFC career while Imavov has less than one per fight. Allen has a 47 percent rate when attempting to get his opponent to the ground which is 11 percent better than Imavov’s. Imavov has the slight edge on the feet but Allen’s finishing ability and aggressiveness puts him in a great position to win this fight as a +180 underdog.
Matt Frevola Moneyline (+110)
‘The Steam Rolla’ is looking for a knockout when he steps foot in the Octagon. He is 3-2 in his last five fights with three first-round knockouts and two losses by knockout. Frevola hasn’t seen a second round since January 2021. He always comes out very aggressive early in the fight and doesn’t waste any time to start throwing bombs.
Although he is facing a bigger guy, the value at +110 on DraftKings Sportsbook is too good to pass up for one of the most powerful and exciting fighters in the lightweight division. His last fight was in November of 2023 but that was against the rising superstar and headliner on this card, Saint Denis. Frevola lands more significant strikes per minute and is more efficient on the ground than his opponent Fares Ziam.
Main Card for Moicano vs. Saint Denis. Starts at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
| Matchup: | Records: | Weight Class: | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook: |
| #11 Renato Moicano vs. #12 Benoit Saint Denis | 19-5-1 (11-5 UFC) vs. 3-2 (5-2 UFC) | Lightweight | +220 vs. -270 |
| #4 Nassourdine Imavov vs. #8 Brendan Allen | 14-4 (6-2-1 UFC) vs. 24-5 (12-2 UFC) | Middleweight | -218 vs. +180 |
| William Gomis vs. Joanderson Brito | 13-2 (3-0 UFC) vs. 17-3-1 (5-1 UFC) | Featherweight | +230 vs. -285 |
| Kevin Jousset vs. Bryan Battle | 10-2 (2-0 UFC) vs. 11-2 (5-1 UFC) | Welterweight | +145 vs. -175 |
| Morgan Charriere vs. Gabriel Miranda | 19-10-1 (1-1 UFC) vs. 17-6 (1-1 UFC) | Featherweight | -750 vs. +525 |
| Fares Ziam vs. Matt Frevola | 15-4 (5-2 UFC) vs. 11-4-1 (5-4-1 UFC) | Lightweight | -125 vs. +105 |
Prelims on ESPN+ start at 12 p.m. ET
| Matchup: | Records: | Weight Class: | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook: |
| Ion Cutelaba vs. Ivan Erslan | 17-10-1 (6-9-1 UFC) vs. 14-3 | Light Heavyweight | -122 vs. +102 |
| Oumar Sy vs. Da Woon Jung | 10-0 (1-0 UFC) vs. 15-5-1 (4-3-1 UFC) | Light Heavyweight | -520 vs. +350 |
| Ludovit Klein vs. Roosevelt Roberts | 22-4-1 (6-2-1 UFC) vs. 12-5 (3-4 UFC) | Lightweight | -1100 vs. +700 |
| Taylor Lapilus vs. Vince Morales | 20-4 (2-1 UFC) vs. 16-7 (3-5 UFC) | Bantamweight | -355 vs. +280 |
| Daria Zhelezniakova vs. Ailin Perez | 9-1 (1-0 UFC) vs. 10-2 (3-1 UFC) | W Bantamweight | +195 vs. -238 |
| Daniel Barez vs. Victor Altamirano | 16-6 (0-1 UFC) vs. 12-4 (2-3 UFC) | Flyweight | -102 vs. -118 |
| Nora Cornolle vs. Jacqueline Cavalcanti | 8-1 (2-0 UFC) vs. 7-1 (2-0 UFC) | W Bantamweight | +170 vs. -205 |
| Bolaji Oki vs. Chris Duncan | 9-1 (1-0 UFC) vs. 11-2 ( 2-1 UFC) | Lightweight | -192 vs. +160 |
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is ryanwohl) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
