Farès Ziam

Farès Ziam
Born (1997-03-21) March 21, 1997 (age 27)
Vénissieux, France
Other namesSmile Killer
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb)
DivisionLightweight (2016–present)
Welterweight (2014–2016)
Reach75 in (191 cm)[1]
Fighting out ofLyon, France
TeamTeam Ezbiri (2014–2021)
Sanford MMA (2021–present)[2]
Years active2014–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total20
Wins16
By knockout6
By submission4
By decision6
Losses4
By submission3
By decision1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Farès Ziam (born March 21, 1997) is a French professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Background

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Born into a Franco-Algerian family in 1997, he was a fan of mixed martial arts and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. It was a family affair, with everyone involved in combat sports. His father, Taïeb, who was a former pro boxer that hung up his gloves in the 2000s, has of course had something to do with it. His stepfather did Brazilian jiu-jitsu while his two brothers did Muay Thai. At 12, Ziam began practising combat sports with full contact. At 13, he began doing Brazilian jiu-jitsu, kickboxing and MMA once or twice a week. Starting at 14, he did judo, BJJ and kickboxing for 3 years, he then joined the Ezbiri team in Villeurbanne to do MMA professionally.[3][4]

Mixed martial arts career

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Early career

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Starting his professional MMA career in 2014, Ziam compiled a 10–2 record fighting mostly in the regional European scene, winning the HIT and LFC lightweight championships in the process.[5]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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Ziam, as a replacement for Magomed Mustafaev, made his promotional debut against Don Madge on September 7, 2019, at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.[6] Ziam lost the fight by unanimous decision.[7]

Ziam faced Jamie Mullarkey at UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie on October 18, 2020.[8] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[9]

Ziam faced Luigi Vendramini on June 12, 2021, at UFC 263.[10] He won the fight via majority decision.[11]

As the last fight of his prevailing contract, Ziam was scheduled to face Terrance McKinney on November 20, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 198.[12][13] However, one of McKinney's cornermen got COVID-19 the day of the bout and it was scrapped.[14] The pairing was rescheduled and eventually took place at UFC Fight Night 202 on February 26, 2022.[15] Ziam lost the bout via first round rear-naked choke.[16]

UFC opted not to renew his contract for a while, but eventually Ziam faced Michal Figlak on September 3, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 209 as the first bout of his new contract.[17][13] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[18]

Ziam faced Jai Herbert on July 22, 2023, at UFC on ESPN+ 82.[19] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[20]

Ziam faced Claudio Puelles on February 24, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 237.[21] Despite being taken down seven times, Ziam won the bout by split decision after landing more strikes.[22]

As the first bout of his new four-fight contract, Ziam faced Matt Frevola on September 28, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 243.[23][24] He won the fight by knockout in the third round after delivering a knee to the face of his opponent.[25] This fight earned him his first Performance of the Night award.[26]

Personal life

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Ziam and his wife have a son (born 2024).[27]

Championships and accomplishments

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Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
20 matches 16 wins 4 losses
By knockout 6 0
By submission 4 3
By decision 6 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 16–4 Matt Frevola KO (knee) UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Saint Denis September 28, 2024 3 2:59 Paris, France Performance of the Night.
Win 15–4 Claudio Puelles Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 February 24, 2024 3 5:00 Mexico City, Mexico
Win 14–4 Jai Herbert Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura July 22, 2023 3 5:00 London, England
Win 13–4 Michal Figlak Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Tuivasa September 3, 2022 3 5:00 Paris, France
Loss 12–4 Terrance McKinney Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Green February 26, 2022 1 2:11 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 12–3 Luigi Vendramini Decision (majority) UFC 263 June 12, 2021 3 5:00 Glendale, Arizona, United States
Win 11–3 Jamie Mullarkey Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie October 18, 2020 3 5:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Loss 10–3 Don Madge Decision (unanimous) UFC 242 September 7, 2019 3 5:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 10–2 Yassine Belhadj Submission (guillotine choke) European Beatdown 5 February 2, 2019 3 1:05 La Louvière, Belgium
Win 9–2 Julio Matos Decision (unanimous) European Beatdown 4 October 13, 2018 3 5:00 Mons, Belgium
Win 8–2 Abner Lloveras KO (punch) HIT Fighting Championship 5 March 10, 2018 2 0:24 Zürich, Switzerland Won the HIT Lightweight Championship.
Win 7–2 Alexey Valivakhin TKO (punches and elbows) WWFC 8 September 27, 2017 1 3:01 Kyiv, Ukraine
Win 6–2 Artem Tanshyn TKO (elbows) Road To WWFC 4 April 29, 2017 1 3:18 Kyiv, Ukraine
Loss 5–2 Haotian Wu Submission (rear-naked choke) Kunlun Fight MMA 7 December 15, 2016 1 3:41 Beijing, China
Win 5–1 Damien Lapilus KO (head kick) Lyon Fighting Championship 7 November 19, 2016 1 N/A Lyon, France Lightweight debut. Won the LFC Lightweight Championship.
Loss 4–1 Viskhan Magomadov Submission (rear-naked choke) ACB 46 September 24, 2016 1 3:58 Olsztyn, Poland Catchweight (159 lb) bout.
Win 4–0 Laïd Zerhouni Submission (rear-naked choke) Gladiator Fighting Arena 3 March 5, 2016 3 2:32 Nîmes, France
Win 3–0 Jean Dutriaux Submission (arm-triangle choke) 100% Fight 27 February 4, 2016 1 1:50 Paris, France Welterweight debut.
Win 2–0 Dominic Yeo TKO (punches) WSFC 3: The Third Strike November 28, 2015 2 4:58 Dornbirn, Austria
Win 1–0 Guerra Mathias Submission (armbar) Lyon Fighting Championship 4 November 22, 2014 1 4:12 Lyon, France Welterweight debut.

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  2. ^ Farah Hannoun (November 29, 2021). Fares Ziam wants Paddy Pimblett at UFC London in March. MMAjunkie.com – via YouTube.
  3. ^ "Interview Fares Ziam : mon 1er combat à l'UFC | Arts Martiaux Mixtes". ActuMMA (in French). 2019-09-06. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  4. ^ Younsi, Djamel (2020-01-17). "Farès Ziam, Smile Killer du MMA". Expressions (in French). Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  5. ^ Sherdog.com. "Fares". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  6. ^ "Magomed Mustafaev out, Don Madge now meets Fares Ziam at UFC 242". MMA Junkie. 2019-08-22. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  7. ^ Fortune, Ryan (September 7, 2019). "UFC 242 Results: Don Madge Grinds to Decision Victory Against Fares Ziam".
  8. ^ Farah Hannoun (September 24, 2020). "Jamie Mullarkey vs. Fares Ziam joins UFC's Oct. 17 lineup". MMAjunkie.com.
  9. ^ Staff, FNA (19 October 2020). "Jim Crute KO's Modestas Bakauskas; Mullarkey edged by decision at UFC Fight Night 180 – Fight News Australia". fightnewsaustralia. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Luigi Vendramini vs. Fares Ziam added to UFC 263 on June 12". MMA Junkie. 2021-03-12. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  11. ^ Evanoff, Josh (2021-06-12). "UFC 263 Results: Fares Ziam Survives, Defeats Luigi Vendramini". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
  12. ^ Dorff, Marcel (2021-08-24). "BREAKING: Terrance McKinney vs. Fares Ziam toegevoegd aan UFC evenement op 20 november". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  13. ^ a b E. Spencer Kyte (February 20, 2024). "Fares Ziam: Learning On The Job". Ultimate Fighting Championship.
  14. ^ "Terrance McKinney forced out of UFC Fight Night 198 due to COVID-19 exposure". MMA Junkie. 2021-11-20. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
  15. ^ Dorff, Marcel (2021-12-03). "Terrance McKinney vs. Fares Ziam opnieuw ingepland, ditmaal voor 26 februari". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  16. ^ Anderson, Jay (2022-02-26). "UFC Vegas 49: Terrance McKinney Secures Another First Round Finish, Submits Fares Ziam". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  17. ^ Anderson, Jay (2022-08-18). "Fares Ziam Welcomes Cage Warriors Standout Michal Figlak at UFC Paris". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  18. ^ Bitter, Shawn (2022-09-03). "UFC Paris: Farès Ziam Hurts Figlak Early, Out Grapples Him To Unanimous Decision". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
  19. ^ "Fares Ziam vs Herbert". Boxe Mag (in French). 2023-05-01. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  20. ^ Dewar, Val (2023-07-22). "UFC London: Fares Ziam Beats Jai Herbert In Clinch-Heavy Matchup Between Kickboxers". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  21. ^ "Claudio Puelles vs Fares Ziam Reported for UFC Mexico City". www.itnwwe.com. 2024-01-11. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  22. ^ Dewar, Val (2024-02-24). "UFC Mexico City: Farès Ziam Wins Split Decision Over Claudio Puelles". www.cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  23. ^ Farah Hannoun and Nolan King (2024-07-10). "Matt Frevola draws Fares Ziam at UFC Fight Night in Paris". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  24. ^ Cageside Press (September 26, 2024). Fares Ziam Considers Frevola A Top-15 Guy Even Without Ranking | UFC Paris – via YouTube.
  25. ^ Jay Anderson (2024-09-28). "UFC Paris: Fares Ziam Delivers Crushing Knee, Puts Matt Frevola Out Cold". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  26. ^ a b Brian Mazique (2024-09-28). "UFC Fight Night Paris Results: Bonus Winners And Highlights". forbes.com. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  27. ^ E. Spencer Kyte (September 28, 2024). "Main Card Results | UFC Paris". Ultimate Fighting Championship.
  28. ^ "MMA Junkie's Knockout of the Month for September: Fares Ziam shuts off Matt Frevola with all-time knee". MMAjunkie.com. September 30, 2024.
  29. ^ "Fares "Smile Killer" Ziam". Sherdog. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
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