Axel Sola Stuns Fares Ziam With Lightning-Fast Knockout at UFC Paris
In the co-main event of UFC Paris, Axel Sola scored a first-round knockout over Fares Ziam, deliberately eating an elbow to land the decisive left hook.
A blistering first-round finish
At UFC Paris — officially UFC Fight Night: Hooker vs. Parnasse — held September 5, 2026 at Accor Arena in Paris, Frenchman Axel Sola knocked out compatriot Fares Ziam in the co-main event. The finish came at 1:40 of round one, according to UFC.com and Cageside Press.
Per Cageside Press's account, Ziam opened the fight working leg kicks while Sola looked for chances to close the distance with his hands. The finishing sequence began when Sola faked a takedown and leaned to his right to set up a left hook. Ziam read the level change and fired a clean elbow to Sola's face — but in doing so, lost track of the hand coming right behind it. Sola absorbed the elbow and landed the left hook almost simultaneously, immediately putting Ziam out. No follow-up shots were needed; the finish was instant and clean.
An unexpected favorite on the scorecards
Heading into the bout, Sola was considered the underdog — Deadspin listed his moneyline at +138, while its own predictive model put the gap much narrower, giving Ziam roughly 51.1% and Sola around 48.9%. Deadspin also highlighted that Sola carried a significantly higher knockdown rate (1.40%) compared to Ziam (0.51%), along with an edge in significant strikes landed per minute — factors that ultimately proved decisive.
Ziam entered the fight off a six-fight win streak, though he was coming off a lopsided 15-minute decision loss to Tom Nolan in June. Sola, meanwhile, held a 1-1 record in the UFC lightweight division before this win.
Ziam's plans beyond the loss
As reported by Yardbarker, citing Sherdog, Ziam had already announced plans ahead of the fight to relocate his family to Denver to train full-time under coach Trevor Wittman, who helped prepare Justin Gaethje for his win over Paddy Pimblett. Ziam said he intends to spend two to three years in Denver, saying it's important for his development to finally train under a dedicated head coach — something he had lacked earlier in his career.
