A general view of fans outside of The Accor Arena prior to the UFC Fight Night event on September 03, 2022 in Paris, France.

This Tuesday morning the UFC officially announced their return to Paris, France, is set for September 28th as the promotion returns to the capital for a third time.

After the sport of MMA was finally legalized in France back in 2020, the UFC held its inaugural event in the nation’s capital two years later, when Ciryl Gane took on Tai Tuivasa in the main event.

‘Bon Gamin’ scored a third-round stoppage, earning a vacant title shot against the current heavyweight champion, Jon Jones.

A year later Gane headlined at the Accor Arena for the second time, finishing Serghei Spivac in the second round of their heavyweight main event.

(R-L) Ciryl Gane of France lands a knee against Serghei Spivac of Moldova in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at The Accor Aren...

Reaction as the UFC announces its return to France

With the promotion finally announcing their return to the Accor Arena on September 28th, they announced that tickets will go on sale Friday, July 5th.

The French MMA fanbase has become one of the most passionate around the world, despite the sport only having been legal there for four years.

One fan reacted to the announcement on X (formerly Twitter), by saying, “The UFC is going to show PFL/Bellator how to do a real show in Paris, unlike that disastrous show with Doumbe where he stopped the fight because of a splinter.”

Some other fans aren’t as optimistic about the event, though, with one fan saying, “Can’t wait for Gane to fight a fat heavyweight ranked between 8-12 and then demand a title shot.”

Fighters who can potentially headline the event

Although there are currently no confirmed fights for the event, Ciryl Gane is likely a frontrunner to headline in his home country for a third time.

UFC lightweight contender, Benoit Saint-Denis will likely also be included on the card, with his last fight in Paris resulting in the Fight of the Night, after he finished Thiago Moises in the second round.

Gane is likely to be favored over ‘God of War’ for the main event, as he is higher ranked in the heavyweight division than Saint-Denis is at 155lbs, and is close to securing another title shot.

With the announcement, UFC CEO, Dana White said, “This is another one of those destinations that I would have to tell fans if you’ve never been to a fight in Paris, you should probably order your tickets now.”