It was a historic evening for French mixed martial arts. On Friday, July 28, HEXAGONE MMA made a statement in setting up its cage in the Roman Theatre of Orange, a sublime remnant of the ancient Empire. Sold out, in front of more than 5,000 spectators, nine elite-level fights played out back-to-back in an atmosphere evocative of its mythologised gladiatorial clashes. It was a credit to the matchmaking that no bout made it through the full three rounds, all ending before time with a K-O or memorable submission.
Alongside the majestic setting, the other main attraction of the evening was the return to competition of “GregMMA”, a legitmate social media star, whose videos now accumulate tens of millions of views on Youtube. Seventeen years after his last professional fight, the Frenchman was keen to remind us that he is first and foremost a top-level athlete, having fought for some of the world’s biggest promotions, such as Pride FC. This proved a perfectly successful gamble for Gregory Bouchelaghem, as it took him just one shot by K-O to win in less than 15 seconds against Italian Gianluca Locicero.
“I would have liked to fight a little longer, but I had worked on my cross with my coach and it went well!” GregMMA said on the microphone to an enthralled crowd. “I would like to thank HEXAGONE MMA, who gave me the opportunity to fight again and to experience this feeling of being in front of an audience that backs my cause. And that’s a lot of fun.”
Also proving herself on the night, strawweight world champion Samantha Jean-François nicely exhibited her talent in the co-main event. Facing the experienced Laura Balin, who looked to dethrone her, the Frenchwoman imposed her game to secure a superb victory by submission in the second round.
“I wanted to avoid the ground, but ultimately it ended up on the ground,” commented the fighter from Reunion, who took the opportunity to honor her native land. “I think that tonight, we, the Reunionese, showed that we have talent on our small island and also the ability to create dreams for people who love MMA”.
Prior to Samantha Jean-François’s victory, another representative of Reunion Island distinguished himself in Orange, Anthony Morel: In his first professional fight, the heavyweight inflicted a huge K-O on Adama Diop with a back-elbow. In total, across both the preliminary and main cards, there was no shortage of spectacular finishes. These included Mathieu Moya’s aggressive arm-lock on Yassin Chtatou and Alix Jeanguillaume’s relentless ground and pound of Cédric Severac.
Intensity, sensation, media impact… HEXAGONE MMA 10 kept all its promises, and pledges to deliver again this Friday in its next major event. Following the ancient Roman theatre, it will be in Beziers Arena, the temple of bullfighting, that the organization will now set its cage. Given the fireworks of Orange, the public has been well warned!
HEXAGONE MMA 10: OFFICIAL RESULTS
Superfight -90 kg : Gregory « GregMMA » Bouchelaghem def. Gianluca Locicero via K-O, round 1, 0:15
Women’s World Strawweight Championship (-52 kg): Samantha Jean-François def. Laura Balin via submission (rear-naked choke), round 2, 4:00
Men’s Welterweight -77 kg: Soufiene Oudina def. Walter Gahadza via submission (rear-naked choke), round 2, 2:47
Men’s Welterweight -77 kg: Alix Jeanguillaume def. Cédric Severac via TKO (ground and pound), round 1, 4:40
Men’s Welterweight -77 kg: Axel Nobou def. Roland Szolnoki via TKO, round 3, 1:35
Men’s Heavyweight -120 kg: Anthony Morel def. Adama Diop via K-O (back- elbow), round 1, 1:43
Men’s Middleweight -84 kg: Laïd Zerhouni def. Chresus Mokima via submission (kimura), round 1, 1:52
Men’s Featherweight -66 kg: Mathieu Moya def. Yassin Chtatou by submission (arm lock), round 1, 2:28
Men’s Lightweight -70 kg : Nicolae Bivol def. Adam Afroune via TKO (ground and pound), round 2, 4:39
HEXAGONE MMA CALENDAR:
August 4, 2023: HEXAGONE MMA 8 at Beziers Arena
September 7, 2023: HEXAGONE MMA x BRAVE CF at the H Arena in Nantes
Feature image by Yann Levy
Subscribe
