At a glance
- MMA, boxing and Muay Thai analyst for RMC Sport Combat
- Calls ONE Friday Fights alongside Antoine Simon
- Created the Baba Versus podcast, which wrapped in September 2025
Overview
Baba Diagne is an MMA, boxing and Muay Thai analyst for RMC Sport Combat, the combat sports coverage of French network RMC Sport. He appears on the RMC Fighter Club, the network's fight show, and calls ONE Friday Fights with play by play man Antoine Simon. He speaks as a practitioner: he is a coach and, according to the French site NoyaudurMMA, a Muay Thai champion.
Away from the broadcast booth, he created Baba Versus, a French language podcast that told the stories of France's combat sports legends. The series ended in September 2025 with an episode on Cyrille Diabaté, one of the pioneers of MMA in France.
What you'll find
On RMC Sport Combat, Diagne breaks down MMA, boxing and Muay Thai fights. On the Fighter Club he sits on the panel with the show's other analysts. In September 2024 he interviewed Francis Ngannou for the program alongside host Alexandre Herbinet. On ONE Friday Fights he calls ONE Championship's weekly cards live, where Muay Thai makes up a large share of the bouts.
The Baba Versus episodes are still available on Apple Podcasts. Each one walks through the career of a French combat sports figure, from early days to recognition. His Instagram account shares clips from his TV work and his interviews.
Why follow
Diagne reads a fight like a striking coach. He talks about footwork, range and exchanges on the feet, which helps you follow the standup side of an MMA fight in detail. Because he also covers boxing and Muay Thai, he connects the disciplines and gives you useful reference points if you watch several promotions.
Baba Versus also works as an archive. It documents the history of MMA and combat sports in France through the people who built it, something few French language shows have done over a full series. If you want context on the French fighters now showing up on UFC and PFL cards, it fills in the background.
MMA Official's take
This is for fans who understand French and want a striking focused read of fights plus the backstory of French MMA. Start with the final Baba Versus episode featuring Cyrille Diabaté, which covers the early days of MMA in France. Then catch his ONE Friday Fights commentary with Antoine Simon to hear him break down Muay Thai live, and his Fighter Club appearances on big fight weeks.