Nassourdine Imavov is hoping a win at UFC Paris will be enough to have him be considered alongside the all-time greats in MMA history.
The sport was banned in France until 2020, with striking being ruled illegal and a traditional ring being required in place of the octagon used by the UFC.
This didn’t stop some big names from coming out of the country and making their names in the UFC, although the legalization of the sport has allowed more MMA stars to ply their trade in France.
One of these is Nassourdine Imavov, who moved to the country at age nine before pursuing his dream of fighting in the octagon.
He is the #2-ranked Middleweight in the UFC today, and a win at UFC Paris could hand him a world title opportunity against Khamzat Chimaev.
However, he is not quite on the level of the top five French MMA fighters of all time, including a former Heavyweight title contender and a “God of War” in the octagon.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images5. Benoit Saint-Denis
While some may put Imavov above Benoit Saint-Denis, there have been few fighters as entertaining in the octagon in the past four years as the “God of War”.
The French fighter has excelled since moving to Lightweight in 2022, picking up numerous bonuses for his impressive finishes against a litany of fighters.
Of his 14 career wins, Saint-Denis has never gone the distance. Whether it be by impressive head kick KOs, like against Thiago Moises, or brutal submission wins, Saint-Denis has found a way to end a fight against almost anyone he’s come up against.
While a loss to Dustin Poirier in 2024 moved Saint-Denis further away from challenging for gold, the Lightweight has the ability to pick himself up and climb the rankings once again.
4. Francis Carmont
Championship glory may have escaped him, but Francis Carmont is still a massive name in the history of French fighters in the UFC.
“Limitless” amassed a record of 16-7 before signing for the UFC in 2011, debuting with a win over Chris Camozzi at UFC 137.
This began a six-fight winning streak for Carmont, where he impressed with a number of submission finishes with the rear-naked choke to move up the Light Heavyweight rankings.
While three losses in a row saw him move over to Bellator, Carmont found relative success by making it to the final of the Light Heavyweight tournament in 2015, retiring a year later.
3. Manon Fiorot
While she may not be an obvious choice for one of the greatest French fighters in history, Manon Fiorot’s record is as good as anybody else on this list, or better.
The French Flyweight had a dominant five-year spell after losing her first MMA bout, winning 12 fights in a row to rise to the top of the UFC rankings.
Using her background in karate, kickboxing, and Muay Thai, Fiorot uses her impressive size and striking ability to control fights, often winning via unanimous judges’ decision rather than going for the spectacular finish.
Fiorot’s sole loss in the UFC came at the hands of Valentina Shevchenko, but the Frenchwoman still ranks #4 in the women’s pound-for-pound rankings, and will no doubt be back for another shot at the belt before too long.
2. Ciryl Gane
Ciryl Gane made history in 2021 by becoming the first-ever French UFC champion, although it was the interim version of the belt and not the undisputed version.
Gane stopped Derrick Lewis in the third round of their UFC 265 bout, the referee stepping in to stop his punches to award the Frenchman the TKO victory and the interim UFC Heavyweight belt.
While his reign would end on its first defense, a decision against Francis Ngannou going the wrong way at UFC 270, Gane rebuilt his career despite another loss to Jon Jones to become the #1-ranked Heavyweight in the promotion.
He is preparing to challenge Tom Aspinall at UFC 321 for the UFC Heavyweight championship, hoping to become the first Frenchman to hold the undisputed Heavyweight belt in history.
1. Cheick Kongo
While he didn’t start his MMA career until he was 26, Cheick Kongo became a huge name in the sport and a legend among French fighters.
The six-foot-four-inch Heavyweight was a savant in martial arts, excelling in kendo, karate, boxing, muay thai, and many more disciplines on the road to becoming a top fighter the world over.
His most impressive win came against the legendary Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 75. While Cro Cop jumped to the mat to try and outwrestle the Frenchman, Kongo simply landed a brutal axe kick to his body, which looked like it hurt, en route to a decision victory.
Wins over the likes of Mark Hunt and Derrick Lewis proved he was a top Heavyweight, although Kongo’s first world title shot came in Bellator, where he lost to Vitaly Minakov in 2014.
Kongo retired in 2022 after challenging for the Bellator Heavyweight title belt in his home country, losing over five rounds in Paris to end his career without a world title, but still as France’s greatest MMA fighter of all time.