Timothy D. Easley/Special to the Courier-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

UFC Paris welcomes new lightweight fight with fan favourite British debutant stepping in

Originally posted on HITC | By Jamie Theodosi | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 1:12 PM ET

The UFC is back in Paris this Saturday, and several new faces will be stepping into the octagon for the first time.

The event, set for September 6th, sees Nassourdine Imavov taking on Caio Borralho at the top of the bill. Both are looking to climb further up the middleweight rankings.

In the co-main event, Benoit Saint-Denis returns in front of a home crowd to take on Mauricio Ruffy in what should be an entertaining lightweight clash.

But outside of those fights, much of the attention is on a handful of fighters making their UFC debuts. The Fight Night card is packed with new talent looking to make a statement early in their careers.

Harry Hardwick steps in on short notice for UFC Paris to fight Kaue Fernandes

Lightweight contender Fares Ziam, originally slated to compete in front of his home crowd, was scheduled to face Kaue Fernandes.

However, he was forced to withdraw following the death of his grandmother, leaving an opening on the card.

Despite the setback, reports suggest Fernandes will remain on the card and is now set to face Cage Warriors featherweight champion Harry Hardwick.

‘Houdini’ has built a strong following in Britain thanks to his impressive nine-fight unbeaten run in Cage Warriors.

With Fares Ziam out, the UFC is working to keep Kauê Fernandes on the #UFCParis card, pairing him with Cage Warriors featherweight champion Harry Hardwick, multiple sources told me. pic.twitter.com/Dlaqky4GRM
— Al Zullino (@phre) September 2, 2025

UFC fans may recognise the Hardwick name from his brother George, who appeared on Dana White’s Contender Series last year but did not earn a contract.

Harry addressed his late call-up in a post on Instagram, saying:

“Right, off on a little adventure… Yeah, bit of an organisational headache the last 12 hours has been but yea, f—— yeah, it’s gonna be good.”