UFC Paris video: Axel Sola sends Fares Ziam to the shadow realm

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An all-France showdown ended in violent fashion.

The UFC Fight Night 287 co-main event was a lightweight bout between a pair of French fighters, Axel Sola and Fares Ziam. After back-to-back fights that went the distance, the crowd at Accor Arena in Paris was hoping the action would pick up, and Sola (13-1-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) gave them plenty to cheer about after he knocked out Ziam (18-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) at 1:40 in the opening round.

It was a quick moment. Ziam was pressing forward, and Sola charged forward, using his right hand to grab Ziam's leg for a takedown threat, but with his left hand, Sola came over the top with a crushing punch right on the jaw that put Ziam out on impact. Sola followed him to the ground in one smooth motion for a few follow-up shots until the referee could get there to shove him off.

Check out video of the finish below (via X):

With the win, Sola notches back-to-back first-round stoppages, with the previous coming by submission against Ismael Bonfim in July. Ziam has now lost his last two outings, dropping a unanimous decision against Tom Nolan in June, a result that ended a six-fight winning streak.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 287 results:

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Paris video: Axel Sola sends Fares Ziam to the shadow realm