Fares Ziam showed the totality of his mixed martial game and punctuated it with one of the best knockouts all year. Ziam overwhelmed Matt Frevola for most of Saturday’s three-round scrap at UFC Fight Night in Paris.
Ziam looked like a legitimate top 15 lightweight in a pivotal performance against Frevola, a fighter formerly ranked in the UFC’s official 155-pound rankings. Ziam overcame a dangerous guillotine choke attempt in Round 1 before badly hurting Frevola with his long-range strikes. Ziam attempted a solid rear-naked choke in Round 2 and overwhelmed Frevola with wrestling in Round 3.
It seemed Ziam would have to settle for an impressive decision win, but the 27-year-old French fighter had different plans. Ziam unleashed a hellacious Muay Thai knee against the fence that turned Frevola’s chin. “The Steam Rolla” melted into an unconscious puddle on the canvas as the Paris crowd roared for Ziam’s victory. Do not be surprised if Ziam’s performance joins the KO of the Year conversation at the end of 2024.
Ziam improved to 16-4 in the most impressive performance of his career. Ziam improved to 6-2 in the UFC and achieved his first stoppage win since signing with UFC in 2019. Frevola dropped to 11-5-1 after consecutive KO losses to French fighters Benoit Saint Denis and Ziam.
