Jordan Zébo defends his ARES welterweight belt against Baysangur Chamsoudinov, known as Baki, on Friday, November 20, at the Adidas Arena in Paris. Thirteen months earlier, in Strasbourg, the fighter from Martinique ended his opponent’s unbeaten run with a fourth-round KO.
The Strasbourg KO That Changed Everything
On October 18, 2025, at ARES 35, Jordan Zébo beat Baysangur Chamsoudinov by technical knockout at 2 minutes and 8 seconds of the fourth round, claiming the welterweight title. Chamsoudinov, unbeaten in nine professional fights at the time, suffered the first loss of his career in that bout. After the fight, he revealed he had competed with a torn ACL in his left knee. He underwent surgery and began a rehabilitation that kept him out of the cage for thirteen months.
A Postponed Date, Same Venue
ARES announced the rematch on July 29, 2026, initially set for Saturday, November 7, at the Adidas Arena in Paris. The promotion later pushed the event back a week to Friday, November 20, without stating a reason. Tickets bought for the original date remain valid for the new one. The fight airs on UFC Fight Pass. The Adidas Arena had already hosted Zébo’s previous title defense, against Fialho, this past July.
Two Title Defenses Between the Two Fights
Since Strasbourg, Jordan Zébo has defended his ARES welterweight belt twice. On January 30, 2026, at ARES 38, he retained the title against Ramazan Mustafaev by split decision, a contested verdict that was met with boos from the crowd, according to L’Équipe. On July 3, 2026, at ARES 42, he submitted André Fialho, a Portuguese fighter with seven UFC bouts and a professional record of 16 wins and 8 losses, by rear-naked choke in the fourth round. “It was a tough fight, Fialho is a real warrior, but I knew I could finish him,” he said after the bout, remarks reported by L’Équipe, before adding: “I worked my grappling hard for this.” Age 25, from Sainte-Marie, Martinique, and trained at MMA Factory under Fernand Lopez, he has not lost since Strasbourg.
Two Rivals Already Beaten by Cédric Doumbé
Jordan Zébo and Baysangur Chamsoudinov, who is from Alsace, each have one loss to Cédric Doumbé on their record. Zébo lost by KO in 9 seconds on September 30, 2023, at PFL Paris, a defeat he called a “nightmare” in an interview with RMC Sport, before adding: “I’ve moved past it, I’m looking forward.” Chamsoudinov, for his part, had beaten Doumbé by referee stoppage in the third round on March 7, 2024, at PFL Europe 1, after Doumbé asked for the fight to be stopped due to a foot injury. Having become ARES champion two years after his loss to Doumbé, Zébo said he wants to fight on a UFC Paris card, believing a win over Baki would put him in good position to land a spot, though the event has no official date for 2026. Doumbé, meanwhile, has since left the cage for the ring: he faces Jake Paul in boxing on December 24 in Dubai.
The Numbers Before the Fight
Jordan Zébo holds an 11-1 record, with an Elo rating of 1692 according to the model used by the site Combat Edge, up from 1571 in September 2023. Baysangur Chamsoudinov holds a 9-1 record, with an Elo rating of 1665, up from 1630 in January 2023. That same model makes Zébo the 56 percent favorite against 44 percent for his opponent, in a fight set for the welterweight division, meaning under 170 pounds (77 kilograms). This rating system, borrowed from chess’s Elo rankings, evaluates each fighter based on the strength of their opponents rather than on wins and losses alone.
Both fighters will step into the cage wearing 4-ounce gloves, the standard used in professional MMA for official bouts, far lighter than the boxing gloves Doumbé will wear against Jake Paul. Our ranking of MMA fight gloves compares the top model from each brand.
