It was a high-stakes night! This Thursday, March 26th, for the return of HEXAGONE MMA Winamax to the Zénith in Nantes, France’s number one MMA organization delivered a spectacular gala, culminating in an elite main event. The first semi-final of the €100,000 middleweight tournament, the clash between Novenyi Jr. and Giordanengo, ultimately went in favor of the Hungarian, who secured an impressive victory by TKO in round 1. A true sensation!
Norbert Novenyi Jr. is approaching 100,000 euros
The HEXAGONE MMA Winamax middleweight (-84 kg) tournament has its first finalist! After a masterful performance in the quarterfinals, Norbert Novenyi Jr. confirmed his status this Thursday, dominating Clément Giordanengo in a high-level semifinal. Winning by TKO in round 1, the Hungarian moves closer to the championship title and the €100,000 prize. Above all, he has established himself more than ever as one of the best fighters on the continent and will attempt to claim the ultimate prize on June 12th in Lyon, in the highly anticipated final.
“Tonight, I think I showed France everything I can do against a very high-level fighter. He was a very strong, very physical opponent; he put me in danger with a beautiful submission,” commented Novenyi Jr. just after his victory. “I train with elite fighters, with UFC champions, and I am a world-class fighter myself. I am looking forward to the tournament final to show that to the world!”
Océane Samson as the boss
This Thursday, in addition to the main event, the crowd eagerly awaited the return of Frenchwoman Océane Samson, the amateur world champion, who has been impressive since her professional debut. For her first fight back in the cage, the rising star of French MMA lived up to expectations, securing a superb victory against Maria Rodriguez by TKO in the first round. With this third win by knockout in as many fights, Océane Samson confirms her immense talent and positions herself as a future contender for the strawweight title!
“I train hard in the gym so that it will be easy in the cage. Three fights, three finishes, isn’t that perfect?” Samson joked just after her victory, before mentioning a future fight against Mathilde Aschenbrenner, the other French prospect in the division. “Mathilde and I have already crossed paths on the amateur circuit, it would be a very big all-French fight, and it will happen! I still need to gain experience, to get cage time. When it happens, I will have to be ready.”
Express submissions at the Zenith in Nantes
Overall, Thursday’s main card delivered some truly great fights and spectacular finishes! In the middleweight division, Romanian Madalin Pirvulescu, defeated by Norbert Novenyi Jr. in the quarterfinals of the €100,000 tournament, returned to winning ways by submitting Frenchman Stéphane Coignon in the first round.
Earlier in the evening, young Zelim Umarov, who had made a name for himself in his fight against rising star Samba Sima, delivered a superb performance by submitting Adel Ain Zerga in just 30 seconds! Also noteworthy were the victories of local fighters Olivier Fleurmon and Tom Belmont, both victorious on home soil in their professional debuts!
The official results of HEXAGONE MMA 42:
