MMA Preview – Benoit Saint-Denis vs Thiago Moises at UFC Fight Night 226
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BENOIT SAINT-DENIS VS THIAGO MOISES FACTS
When is UFC Paris? Saturday 2nd September, 2023 - 18:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Paris? Accor Arena, Paris (France)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Paris? Click here to buy tickets for UFC Fight Night
What channel is UFC Paris on? TNT Sports 2
Where can I stream UFC Paris? TNT Sports subscribers can stream the fight online via the TNT Sports website and Discovery+
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
BENOIT SAINT-DENIS VS THIAGO MOISES LOWDOWN
Benoit Saint-Denis (11-1(1)) was dealt a tough hand on debut, stepping up on short notice to take on Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (2021). He got brutalised for three rounds with his toughness lifting him to the bell. Since then, he has shown his talents off down at lightweight stringing together three finishes in a row. He submitted Niklas Stolze (2022) and TKO’d Gabriel Miranda before his most impressive dub and submission over prospect Ismael Bonfim (2023).
Now, he takes on Thiago Moises (17-6) who has got back to winning ways after suffering two losses on the bounce. He got submitted by Islam Makhachev (2021) and TKO’d by Joel Alvarez (2021) but responded with submissions over Christos Giagos (2022) and Melquizael Costa (2023).
BENOIT SAINT-DENIS VS THIAGO MOISES PREDICTION
Saint-Denis deserves this name after putting away Bonfim in the first round. Moises is very experienced and is the perfect litmus test of whether you are capable of breaking the top 10. He is a good striker and a high-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.
We expect Saint-Denis to have a game plan built around his wrestling. He is also a good striker, but they are very evenly matched on the feet. So, the Frenchman is likely to shoot in for the takedown as soon as Moises starts to land.
We expect him to succeed, but Moises’ jiu-jitsu is good enough to prevent getting submitted. This should be a very close fight with their toughness and skill dragging this out over three rounds with the Frenchman’s wrestling ultimately earning enough control time to sway the judges.
Prediction: Saint-Denis via Decision
Value bet: Moises via Decision
