ARES Fighting Championship

ARES FCEvents, champions and history

French professional MMA promotion founded in 2019. 43 events, from Dakar to the Adidas Arena, broadcast on Canal+.

  • Founded 2019
  • Paris
  • Canal+ and UFC Fight Pass
  • Unified rules
Tickets Official site Upcoming events
43events held
10host cities, from Dakar to Bordeaux
8,000fans at the Strasbourg Z茅nith (ARES 35)
6ARES alumni in the UFC

Upcoming events

31Oct 2026

ARES 44

Z茅nith de Strasbourg

Main event: Boughanem vs Soumah

Tickets
20Nov 2026

ARES 45

Adidas Arena, Paris

Main event: Zebo vs Chamsoudinov 2

Tickets
15Jan 2027

ARES Marseille

Palais des Sports, Marseille

Card to be announced

Tickets
05Feb 2027

ARES Paris

Paris

Card to be announced

Tickets
02Apr 2027

ARES Paris

Paris

Card to be announced

Tickets
04Jun 2027

ARES Paris

Paris

Card to be announced

Tickets

Champions

Heavyweight

Xavier Lessou 馃嚚馃嚥

ARES 37, January 2026

Light heavyweight

Moustapha Diakhat茅 馃嚫馃嚦

ARES 40, April 2026

Middleweight

Virgil Augen 馃嚝馃嚪

ARES 20, April 2024, 2 defenses

Welterweight

Jordan Zebo 馃嚝馃嚪

ARES 35, October 2025, 2 defenses

Lightweight

Walid Masmoudi 馃嚝馃嚪

ARES 41, June 2026

Featherweight

Josh O'Connor 馃嚞馃嚙

Interim: Fabacary Diatta

Bantamweight

Aboubakar Younousov 馃嚝馃嚪

ARES 25, September 2024

Flyweight

Temerlan Azizov 馃嚝馃嚪

ARES 36, December 2025

Women's flyweight

Jady Menezes 馃嚙馃嚪

ARES 26, October 2024, 1 defense

From ARES FC to the UFC

Nassourdine Imavov

Nassourdine Imavov

UFC 路 2020

ARES 1

William Gomis

UFC 路 2022

ARES 7

Taylor Lapilus

UFC 路 2022

First bantamweight champion

Oumar Sy

UFC 路 2023

ARES 3

Axel Sola

UFC 路 2025

Lightweight champion

Alvi Dasuyev

UFC 路 2026

Interim welterweight champion

The story of ARES FC

ARES Fighting Championship was launched in 2019 by Vivendi Sports, Fernand Lopez, founder of the MMA Factory, and Robins Tchale-Watchou. MMA competition was not yet legal in France, so the first event took place on December 14, 2019 in Dakar, outdoors on the esplanade of the Museum of Black Civilizations, in front of more than 5,000 fans. Senegalese wrestler Reug Reug made his MMA debut on that card.

Once MMA was legalized in France, the promotion moved to Paris: Levallois-Perret in December 2021, a run of shows at the D么me de Paris in 2022 and 2023, a studio in Aubervilliers for shorter cards, and the Adidas Arena from June 2024. ARES 22 was the first French MMA event held there. The promotion also tours France, with stops in Marseille, Nice, Brest, Nantes, Strasbourg and Bordeaux.

In May 2024, the SLAM investment fund and Ciryl Gane bought ARES as part of the AresMMA group. Julien Rongier has been CEO since November 2024. In May 2026, ARES and Hexagone MMA came under the same ownership while remaining separate promotions, and the Amaury group took a stake in AresMMA in September 2026.

Events air exclusively on Canal+ in France through 2027 and on UFC Fight Pass worldwide. Several ARES alumni have signed with the UFC: Nassourdine Imavov, William Gomis, Oumar Sy, Axel Sola and, in September 2026, Alvi Dasuyev.

Standout facts

5,000

fans outdoors in Dakar for the very first event in December 2019.

1st

French MMA event at the Adidas Arena in Paris, with ARES 22 in June 2024.

8,000

fans at the Strasbourg Z茅nith for ARES 35, the promotion's attendance record.

2

belts for Abdoul Abdouraguimov, the first two-division champion in ARES history.

All 43 ARES events

EventDateVenueMain eventWinner
ARES 43Sep 25, 2026Adidas Arena, ParisO'Connor vs DiattaDraw
ARES 42Jul 3, 2026Adidas Arena, ParisZebo vs FialhoZebo
ARES 41Jun 6, 2026Adidas Arena, ParisDasuyev vs SoumahDasuyev
ARES 40Apr 10, 2026Adidas Arena, ParisBegai vs Diakhat茅 2Diakhat茅
ARES 39Apr 3, 2026Ark茅a Arena, BordeauxJbalia vs DiattaDiatta
ARES 38Jan 30, 2026Adidas Arena, ParisZebo vs MustapaevZebo
ARES 37Jan 9, 2026Palais Nika茂a, NiceAugen vs Shiguemoto 2Augen
ARES 36Dec 13, 2025Adidas Arena, ParisJbalia vs SabirovJbalia
ARES 35Oct 18, 2025Z茅nith de StrasbourgChamsoudinov vs ZeboZebo
ARES 34Sep 13, 2025Adidas Arena, ParisBegai vs Diakhat茅Draw
ARES 33Jul 4, 2025H Arena, NantesGagloev vs UmarkhadzhievUmarkhadzhiev
ARES 32Jun 20, 2025Brest ArenaUuganbayar vs J. OliveiraUuganbayar
ARES 31Jun 14, 2025Palais des Sports, MarseilleSola vs OudelhaSola
ARES 30May 16, 2025Adidas Arena, ParisChamsoudinov vs T. LimaChamsoudinov
ARES 29Feb 14, 2025Adidas Arena, ParisYounousov vs AlcinoYounousov
ARES 28Jan 18, 2025Palais Nika茂a, NiceSola vs CaioSola
ARES 27Nov 23, 2024Palais des Sports, MarseilleAugen vs RochaAugen
ARES 26Oct 24, 2024ARES Studio, AubervilliersTekenah vs MenezesMenezes
ARES 25Sep 26, 2024Adidas Arena, ParisSola vs GagloevSola
ARES 24Sep 5, 2024ARES Studio, AubervilliersKlinkhammer vs Gon莽alvesKlinkhammer
ARES 23Jul 11, 2024ARES Studio, AubervilliersBegai vs YakhyaevYakhyaev
ARES 22Jun 14, 2024Adidas Arena, ParisSola vs D. ImavovDraw, Sola retains
ARES 21May 2, 2024ARES Studio, AubervilliersDo Santos vs BaillotDo Santos
ARES 20Apr 18, 2024D么me de ParisAugen vs GutuAugen
ARES 19Mar 8, 2024ARES Studio, AubervilliersPena vs Lee ScottLee Scott
ARES 18Dec 15, 2023Palais des Sports Marcel-Cerdan, LevalloisShiguemoto vs AugenAugen
ARES 17Nov 17, 2023Palais des Sports Marcel-Cerdan, LevalloisAida vs YounousovYounousov
ARES 16Jun 23, 2023D么me de ParisChamsoudinov vs EscuderoChamsoudinov
ARES 15May 11, 2023D么me de ParisPena vs SaadiPena
ARES 14Apr 7, 2023D么me de ParisLebout vs StaropoliStaropoli
ARES 13Mar 9, 2023D么me de ParisD. Lapilus vs BeltranD. Lapilus
ARES 12Feb 17, 2023D么me de ParisPena vs BoudegzdamePena
ARES 11Jan 20, 2023D么me de ParisAbdouraguimov vs HaratykAbdouraguimov
ARES 10Dec 8, 2022D么me de ParisLebout vs AmoussouLebout
ARES 9Nov 3, 2022D么me de ParisD. Lapilus vs Ayoub 2Majority draw
ARES 8Sep 2, 2022D么me de ParisTekenah vs Petrovi膰Petrovi膰
ARES 7Jun 25, 2022D么me de ParisAbdouraguimov vs AmoussouAbdouraguimov
ARES 6May 20, 2022D么me de ParisDamiani vs TulshaevDamiani
ARES 5Apr 16, 2022D么me de ParisT. Lapilus vs PenaT. Lapilus
ARES 4Mar 10, 2022D么me de ParisKruschewsky vs D. LapilusD. Lapilus
ARES 3Feb 3, 2022D么me de ParisAbdouraguimov vs GodofredoAbdouraguimov
ARES 2Dec 11, 2021Palais des Sports Marcel-Cerdan, LevalloisT. Lapilus vs W. ReisT. Lapilus
ARES 1Dec 14, 2019Museum of Black Civilizations, DakarUrbonavicius vs AlcantaraUrbonavicius

Rules and format

  • Unified rules of MMA, octagon cage.
  • Three five-minute rounds, five rounds for title fights.
  • Men's divisions: heavyweight (116 kg), light heavyweight (93), middleweight (84), welterweight (77), lightweight (70), featherweight (66), bantamweight (61), flyweight (57), strawweight (52).
  • Women's divisions: featherweight, bantamweight, flyweight, strawweight.
  • ARES Studio format in Aubervilliers: short cards of 4 to 8 fights.

Broadcast and partners

Canal+ (Canal+ Sport 360) exclusively through 2027, UFC Fight Pass internationally. Partners: Krups, Unibet, Venum, 脦le-de-France Region, French Army.

Official links

Official siteTicketsInstagramYouTubeXTikTokShop

FAQ

Who founded ARES FC?

ARES Fighting Championship was launched in 2019 by Vivendi Sports, Fernand Lopez, founder of the MMA Factory, and Robins Tchale-Watchou. Since 2024 it has been owned by the AresMMA group, formed by the SLAM fund and Ciryl Gane.

Where can I watch ARES events?

In France, events air exclusively on Canal+ (Canal+ Sport 360) through 2027. Internationally, they stream on UFC Fight Pass.

When is the next ARES event?

ARES 44 takes place on October 31, 2026 at the Strasbourg Z茅nith, headlined by Boughanem vs Soumah. ARES 45 follows on November 20, 2026 at the Adidas Arena in Paris.

Which ARES fighters made it to the UFC?

Nassourdine Imavov, William Gomis, Taylor Lapilus, Oumar Sy, Axel Sola and Alvi Dasuyev all fought for ARES before joining the UFC.

Page updated on September 28, 2026. Sources: aresfighting.com, vivendisports.com, sherdog.com, ufc-fr.com, sportbuzzbusiness.fr.

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