The capital experienced a huge night of sport! This Saturday, April 11th, for its biggest event of the year so far, HEXAGONE MMA Winamax delivered an exceptional show at the Zénith in Paris, in front of more than 4,700 enthusiastic spectators. The highly anticipated main event between Matthieu Letho Duclos and Ilian Bouafia ultimately went in favor of Letho Duclos, who thus advances to the final of the €100,000 middleweight tournament.
Letho Duclos advances to the final
It was a huge sporting and media sensation! After several weeks of tension, Matthieu Letho Duclos and Ilian Boufia faced off this Saturday in the cage at the Zénith in Paris, in the main event of HEXAGONE MMA 43. The clash between the two fighters from northern France ultimately went in favor of Matthieu Letho Duclos, who won by TKO in round 1 after Boufia suffered an injury. This victory allows him to advance to the final of the HEXAGONE MMA Winamax middleweight tournament, scheduled for June 12th, against the formidable Hungarian Norbert Novenyi Jr. The prize: €100,000 and the status of a top European fighter.
“In the end, the good guys always win. We planned to frustrate him, that it was going to be tough, but it turned out differently,” commented Matthieu Letho Duclos, before looking ahead to the final of the HEXAGONE MMA Winamax middleweight tournament against Norbert Novenyi Jr. “Norbert is excellent. He’s intelligent, physical, technical; he has all the qualities to be a top-level fighter. It’s going to be a great fight, and I can’t wait to face him.”
Bafode Gassama, new light heavyweight champion
But this Saturday, the entire card lived up to the main event! Indeed, before Matthieu Letho Duclos’s victory, the light heavyweight (-93 kg) title was also on the line between Bafode Gassama and Lajos Papp. A tremendous French talent and amateur MMA world runner-up, Gassama had to live up to all the expectations placed on his professional career. And he did! Despite the pressure, the Parisian won by unanimous decision, securing his fourth consecutive victory and the championship title. The future is bright for him.
“I’m very happy, even though I made a few mistakes and slightly underestimated my opponent. He was powerful, he had strength, and besides, it was my first five-round fight. Next time it will be over faster,” said Gassama, before looking ahead to the next stage of his career. “My goal is to defend the belt, and prove that I can do even better in the cage!”
Confirmation for Arezki
Finally, in Paris, other promising French MMA fighters were on the card. In the sweltering heat of the Zénith arena, young Souhil Arezki, the 2023 amateur world champion, confirmed his impressive rise, securing his third professional victory against the formidable Maximilien Vallot by unanimous decision. His ascent is well underway…
Also noteworthy were the impressive wins of Alix Jeanguillaume against Christopher Odena, and of newcomer Mathieu Szymborski, a promising fighter from Marseille, who defeated Michal Jelinek by submission in round 1. Among the amateurs, featured earlier in the evening, the standout performance came from Parisian Ousmane Camara, who maintained his undefeated record (11-0) by dominating Stanley Vagao by TKO in round 2. A truly spectacular show!
The official results of HEXAGONE MMA 43:
