Quick facts
- Michael Aljarouj (13-3) signs with the UFC and will make his debut on September 5, 2026, at the Accor Arena.
- He faces Spain’s Fabia Sintes (11-3) at flyweight.
- Born in Aleppo, Syria, he fled the war as a child to settle in France.
- Former Hexagone MMA flyweight champion (title won in 2024).
- He has 10 finishes in 13 wins (7 KO/TKO, 3 submissions).
It is one of the feel-good stories of this MMA season: Michael Aljarouj has signed with the UFC and will make his promotional debut on home soil, at UFC Paris, on September 5, 2026, at the Accor Arena. A milestone for a fighter with an extraordinary life story.
From Aleppo to the Octagon
Michael Aljarouj was born in Aleppo, Syria. As a child, he fled the war with his family and found refuge in France, where he grew up and built his life. It was also there that he discovered combat sports, before turning to MMA and making the discipline the driving force behind his integration and his ambition.
At 28, he now fights under the French flag, even though he has publicly voiced frustration over how slow his path to naturalization has been. An administrative status that long kept him from fully representing France in the cage.
A solid record, forged on the regional circuits
On the sporting side, Aljarouj carries a record of 13 wins and 3 losses, with a clear tendency to finish his fights: 10 of his wins came before the final bell (7 by KO/TKO, 3 by submission). Trained notably at Old School Academy, he cut his teeth on several circuits, from 100% Fight to Brave CF, before joining Hexagone MMA.
It was under the French organization’s banner that he made a name for himself: flyweight champion from his very first fight with Hexagone MMA in 2024, he defended the belt once before a setback in April 2025 against Romero dos Reis, a result later ruled a no contest.
This path, from the amateur circuit to the biggest regional cards, now makes him one of the most closely followed fighters of the new French generation. His finishing rate, in particular, stands out: in a discipline where decisions are common, a fighter able to close the show before the final bell inevitably draws the attention of recruiters.
A clash of champions against Fabia Sintes
For his debut, the UFC did not make things easy: he will face Spain’s Fabia Sintes (11-3), also a former regional champion, in a flyweight matchup. Notably, both men signed directly with the UFC without going through Dana White’s Contender Series, which says a lot about the confidence the organization has placed in them.
At flyweight, a division often described as one of the most technical and fastest-paced in the octagon, this clash between two former regional champions promises a fast pace. For Aljarouj, the stakes are twofold: breaking into the big leagues and doing so at home, in front of a Paris crowd expected to be electric. An opening win would be the ideal launch for his run in the biggest organization in the world.
A new French wave at the UFC
Aljarouj is part of a broader trend: a generation of French fighters knocking on the UFC’s door. He will in fact share the UFC Paris card with several countrymen, including Matthieu Letho Duclos, also recently signed. This surge reflects the organization’s growing interest in the French talent pool, driven by an increasingly strong ecosystem of academies and local promotions.
Beyond the sport, Aljarouj’s story resonates in a particular way. Arriving in France with nothing, shaped by exile and war, he turned mixed martial arts into a path of integration and rebuilding. A journey that goes well beyond the cage and that, whatever the outcome on September 5, already makes him a standout figure on the French scene.
See you on September 5 at the Accor Arena to find out whether the fighter born in Aleppo can make his mark in his first appearance under the octagon’s spotlight. One thing is certain: through his story as much as his style, Michael Aljarouj will leave no one indifferent.
For the next card, with the lineup and start times, see our UFC tonight page. Everyone’s standing is in the UFC rankings.
