A New Zealand-based French fighter will return home in September to try to make it 3-0 in the UFC.
Kevin Jousset (10-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has been booked for a welterweight fight against “Ultimate Fighter” winner Bryan Battle (10-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) on the UFC’s card in Paris, which is set for Sept. 28 at Accor Arena.
Multiple people with knowledge of the booking confirmed the matchup to MMA Junkie, but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has not yet made a formal announcement.
Jousset was born in France, but trains with the elite City Kickboxing team in New Zealand that includes former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, Kai Kara-France, Dan Hooker and other UFC standouts. He signed with the UFC in 2023 and picked up two quick wins over Kiefer Crosbie and Song Kenan. He was set to return against Drew Gooden in May until Gooden pulled out. Jousset will be chasing his sixth straight win.
Battle won Season 29 of “The Ultimate Fighter” nearly three years ago when he choked out Gilbert Urbina to win the welterweight season. He’s had a bit of an up-and-down run so far in the UFC. He has four finishes in his five wins, including a 14-second knockout that left him ineligible for a bonus because he missed weight. He also had to deal with a no contest against Ange Loosa when Loosa couldn’t continue due to an eye poke in March.
With the addition, the UFC Paris lineup now includes:
- Renato Moicano vs. Benoit Saint Denis
- Brendan Allen vs. Nassourdine Imavov
- Joanderson Brito vs. William Gomis
- Nora Cornolle vs. Germaine de Randamie
- Ailin Perez vs. Darya Zheleznyakova
- Matt Frevola vs. Fares Ziam
- Victor Altamirano vs. Daniel Barez
- Da Woon Jung vs. Oumar Sy
- Bryan Battle vs. Kevin Jousset
