UFC Paris Betting Preview: Odds, Predictions, and 4 Best Bets

UFC returns to Paris this weekend when France’s own Benoit Saint-Denis takes on Renato Moicano in the main event. 13 other fights will take place at the special afternoon start time, noon EST.

Here are 4 best bets to consider before the fighters make the walk on Saturday. Enjoy the action, folks!

Ailin Perez by Points -110 (FanDuel)

Argentinian MMA will look to keep a recent win streak going when Perez takes on Daria Zheleznyakova. Zheleznyakova will be making her second walk for the UFC after debuting earlier this year. The Russian has a kickboxer background and will look to keep this standing against the wrestler Perez.

However, Zheleznyakova was taken down 3 times for 5 minutes of control time in her debut, and some thought that she was undeserving of the win. On top of that, Zheleznyakova’s only loss was a ground-and-pound stoppage in 2022.

With Perez averaging 5 takedowns a fight, look for her to rack up control time once she’s able to find openings to earn her 4th straight decision win.

Bryan Battle ML -165 (BetMGM)

Battle will look to spoil the homecoming for Kevin Jousset this weekend. Joussett comes from the highly touted gym City Kickboxing, but I haven’t been overly impressed with his 2 UFC showings thus far.

He stopped a less than impressive Kiefer Crosbie and followed it up with a decision win against a low-volume version of Song Kenan. Meanwhile, Battle has almost 3 times the amount of UFC fights Joussett has and should be more equipped to win this fight anywhere it goes.

I think Battle’s forward pressure will dictate the fight and I also feel that he’ll be the better grappler as well. I don’t see Joussett having the volume or power to slow Battle. The Butcher should be in a great spot to continue his upward trend.

Joanderson Brito ML AND Imavov Allen o1.5 -120 (Bet365)

Brito is currently on a 5-fight stoppage streak. 3 by TKO and 2 by submission. Overall, he’s 17-3 with 8 wins by TKO and 7 by sub. He has impressive athleticism and the power to end a fight with one shot.

His opponent, William Gomis, is well rounded, but similar to his French counterpart, Joussett, I think his downfall will be his low volume and lack of power. Without graining Brito’s respect, the Brazilian will be able to walk Gomis down and dictate the pace. With a powerful striker like Brito able to go first in exchanges, he should lead on damage and win this one by stoppage or decision.

Our second leg is over 1.5 rounds between Nassourdine Imavov and Brendan Allen. A big opportunity in the Middleweight division will be waiting for the winner of this one, so expect both fighters to come out tentatively. On top of that, all 9 UFC fights for the favorite Imavov have gone over this mark. 7 of Allen’s 14 have done the same. We should see a mix of striking and grappling to slow this fight down further. Expect a close decision or late finish in this week’s co-main.

Benoit Saint-Denis by TKO +110 (Bet 365)

It wouldn’t feel right not backing any French fighter this weekend. If I were to bet on one, it would be the God of War, Benoit Saint-Denis. Saint-Denis is coming off a notable knockout loss to future UFC hall of famer Dustin Poirier. Saint-Denis dominated up to the knockout and later revealed that a staph infection affected his ability to go further into the fight.

After suffering only the second loss of his career, I expect to see a rejuvenated Saint-Denis in front of his home country. All 13 of his wins have been by stoppage, with 9 of those by submission. Although he’s only had 4 TKO wins, heavy grappling with his opponent, Renato Moicano, wouldn’t be a sensible game plan. 10 of Moicano’s wins have been by submission, and he’s highly regarded as a BJJ ace.

Instead, Saint-Denis should look to use his power strikes against Moicano. Moicano has developed a rep for getting caught with hard punches and most likely could’ve been finished in his last showing when Jalin Turner floored him at UFC 300. Turner opted to walk off instead of finishing Moicano, but that won’t be an issue with Saint-Denis. I see Saint-Denis sending the crowd home happy with a ground-and-pound win if he’s able to catch Moicano with something clean.