French lightweight Fares Ziam gets the opportunity to compete in his home nation on Saturday, facing off with UFC newcomer Michal Figlak on Saturday’s prelims.
Ziam, who is from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France, has gone 2-2 in his first four UFC appearances, sandwiching wins over Jamie Mullarkey and Luigi Vendramini between losses to Don Madge and Terrance McKinney. Tall for the division and still just 25 years old, “Smile Killer” would like nothing more than to get back into the win column with a win on French soil this weekend.
RELATED: 8 UFC Fighters Who’ve Called France Home
Unbeaten in eight professional appearances and coming off a unanimous decision win over former Cage Warriors champ Agy Sardari, the 26-year-old Figlak is another talented Polish prospect to watch in the UFC. Training out of Gloucester, England, Figlak has fought on good slate on his way to the UFC and shown an ability to battle hard for 15 minutes, which should serve him well both Saturday and in the future.
This is an excellent matchup between talented fighters in their mid-20s looking to establish themselves in the talent-rich 155-pound weight class. It should be a good measuring stick of where each currently stands and a chance to get a better understanding of how they may progress over the next couple years.
