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Farès Ziam Record, stats and next fight

18-6-0 (W-L-D)

7Wins by knockout
4Wins by submission
5First round finishes

Stats and record

24Pro fights
61%Finish rate
12UFC fights
2Title fights
1Performance bonuses
2Losing streak

Wins by method

KO / TKO7 (39 %)
Submission4 (22 %)
Decision7 (39 %)

Losses by method

KO / TKO1 (17 %)
Submission3 (50 %)
Decision2 (33 %)

Profile

Age
29 years
Born
March 21, 1997
Birthplace
Venissieux, France
Height
6'0" (183 cm)
Weight
154 lbs (70 kg)
Reach
75" (191 cm)
Division
Lightweight
Fighting out of
Lyon, France
Team
Team Ezbiri
UFC debut
September 7, 2019

Fight history

  1. Loss

    vs Axel Sola

    UFC Fight Night: Hooker vs. Parnasse · Sep 5, 2026 · Paris, France

    Method
    KO (punch)
    Round
    1
    Time
    1:40
  2. Loss

    vs Tom Nolan

    UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs. Bonfim · Jun 6, 2026 · Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

    Method
    Decision (unanimous)
    Round
    3
    Time
    5:00
  3. Win

    vs Nazim Sadykhov

    UFC 323 · Dec 6, 2025 · Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

    Method
    TKO (elbows and punches)
    Round
    2
    Time
    4:59
  4. Win

    vs Mike Davis

    UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs. Imavov · Feb 1, 2025 · Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Method
    Decision (unanimous)
    Round
    3
    Time
    5:00
  5. Win

    vs Matt Frevola Bonus

    UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Saint Denis · Sep 28, 2024 · Paris, France

    Method
    KO (knee)
    Round
    3
    Time
    2:59
  6. Win

    vs Claudio Puelles

    UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 · Feb 24, 2024 · Mexico City, Mexico

    Method
    Decision (split)
    Round
    3
    Time
    5:00
  7. Win

    vs Jai Herbert

    UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura · Jul 22, 2023 · London, England

    Method
    Decision (unanimous)
    Round
    3
    Time
    5:00
  8. Win

    vs Michal Figlak

    UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Tuivasa · Sep 3, 2022 · Paris, France

    Method
    Decision (unanimous)
    Round
    3
    Time
    5:00
Show 16 earlier fights
  1. Loss

    vs Terrance McKinney

    UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Green · Feb 26, 2022 · Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

    Method
    Submission (rear-naked choke)
    Round
    1
    Time
    2:11
  2. Win

    vs Luigi Vendramini

    UFC 263 · Jun 12, 2021 · Glendale, Arizona, United States

    Method
    Decision (majority)
    Round
    3
    Time
    5:00
  3. Win

    vs Jamie Mullarkey

    UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie · Oct 18, 2020 · Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Method
    Decision (unanimous)
    Round
    3
    Time
    5:00
  4. Loss

    vs Don Madge

    UFC 242 · Sep 7, 2019 · Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Method
    Decision (unanimous)
    Round
    3
    Time
    5:00
  5. Win

    vs Yassine Belhadj

    European Beatdown 5 · Feb 2, 2019 · La Louvière, Belgium

    Method
    Submission (guillotine choke)
    Round
    3
    Time
    1:05
  6. Win

    vs Julio Matos

    European Beatdown 4 · Oct 13, 2018 · Mons, Belgium

    Method
    Decision (unanimous)
    Round
    3
    Time
    5:00
  7. Win

    vs Abner Lloveras Title

    HIT-FC 5 · Mar 10, 2018 · Zürich, Switzerland

    Method
    KO (punch)
    Round
    2
    Time
    0:24
  8. Win

    vs Alexey Valivakhin

    World Warriors FC 8 · Sep 27, 2017 · Kyiv, Ukraine

    Method
    TKO (punches and elbows)
    Round
    1
    Time
    3:01
  9. Win

    vs Artem Tanshyn

    Road to World Warriors FC 4 · Apr 29, 2017 · Kyiv, Ukraine

    Method
    TKO (elbows)
    Round
    1
    Time
    3:18
  10. Loss

    vs Wu Haotian

    Kunlun Fight MMA 7 · Dec 15, 2016 · Beijing, China

    Method
    Submission (rear-naked choke)
    Round
    1
    Time
    3:41
  11. Win

    vs Damien Lapilus Title

    Lyon FC 7 · Nov 19, 2016 · Lyon, France

    Method
    KO (head kick)
    Round
    1
    Time
    N/A
  12. Loss

    vs Viskhan Magomadov

    ACB 46 · Sep 24, 2016 · Olsztyn, Poland

    Method
    Submission (rear-naked choke)
    Round
    1
    Time
    3:58
  13. Win

    vs Laïd Zerhouni

    Gladiator Fighting Arena 3 · Mar 5, 2016 · Nîmes, France

    Method
    Submission (rear-naked choke)
    Round
    3
    Time
    2:32
  14. Win

    vs Jean Dutriaux

    100% Fight 27 · Feb 4, 2016 · Paris, France

    Method
    Submission (arm-triangle choke)
    Round
    1
    Time
    1:50
  15. Win

    vs Dominic Yeo

    Westside Fighting Challenge 3 · Nov 28, 2015 · Dornbirn, Austria

    Method
    TKO (punches)
    Round
    2
    Time
    4:58
  16. Win

    vs Guerra Mathias

    Lyon FC 4 · Nov 22, 2014 · Lyon, France

    Method
    Submission (armbar)
    Round
    1
    Time
    4:12

Analysis

Fares Ziam, nicknamed “Smile Killer,” is a French UFC lightweight who joined the organization in 2019 after starting his pro career on the European MMA circuits. He holds a professional record of 18 wins and 6 losses and trains in Lyon with Team Ezbiri.

Career

Fares Ziam was born on March 21, 1997, in Venissieux, a suburb of Lyon, into a family where combat sports held a central place: his father was a professional boxer, his stepfather practiced Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and his two brothers trained in muay thai. He started full-contact combat sports at age 12, then added Brazilian jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, and MMA from age 13. He later joined Team Ezbiri in Villeurbanne to focus on professional MMA.

Ziam fought his early bouts in France, notably in Lyon and Paris, before taking fights abroad, in Austria, Poland, China, Ukraine, and Switzerland, where he won a title at HIT-FC in March 2018 against Abner Lloveras by KO. He also fought on the Belgian European Beatdown circuit, stringing together two wins in 2018 and 2019, before signing with the UFC.

UFC Career

Fares Ziam made his UFC debut on September 7, 2019, at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi, losing a decision to Don Madge. He bounced back in his next fight, in October 2020, then followed with a win over Luigi Vendramini in June 2021. A submission loss to Terrance McKinney in February 2022 broke that streak, before another decision win at UFC Paris in September 2022.

The most stable stretch of his UFC career ran from 2023 to 2025: decision wins over Jai Herbert and Claudio Puelles, then a knee KO over Matt Frevola in September 2024 at UFC Paris, earning a performance bonus, and another decision win over Mike Davis in February 2025. He then returned to a more uneven run, with a TKO win over Nazim Sadykhov in December 2025 followed by two straight losses, by decision to Tom Nolan in June 2026 and then by KO to Axel Sola on September 5, 2026, at UFC Paris.

Fighting Style

Fares Ziam builds his game on a broad grappling base, drawn from his training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo, which has earned him 4 of his 18 wins by submission. He has gradually sharpened his striking power, with 7 wins by KO or TKO, and remains a fighter capable of going the distance in a five-round main event, with 7 of his wins coming by decision. His recent losses, however, show a vulnerability against the division’s more precise strikers.

Record

  • Professional record: 18 wins, 6 losses
  • Wins by KO or TKO: 7 (39%)
  • Wins by submission: 4 (22%)
  • Wins by decision: 7 (39%)
  • Titles: HIT-FC champion (2018)
  • Honors: one UFC performance bonus

Fighter Profile

  • Full name: Fares Ziam
  • Nickname: Smile Killer
  • Born: March 21, 1997, in Venissieux (France)
  • Nationality: French
  • Height: 6’0″ (183 cm)
  • Reach: 6’3″ (191 cm)
  • Division: lightweight
  • Team: Team Ezbiri (Lyon)
  • Base: Brazilian jiu-jitsu, judo

Sources

Data updated on September 28, 2026. Record and measurements cross-checked against official results and Wikipedia. Text written by the MMA Official editorial team.

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