Hexagone MMA in Rouen: Anzor Baybatyrov comes home as the favorite after knocking out Paul Dena

Hexagone MMA sets up its cage in Normandy for the first time on Saturday, September 12, at the Zénith in Rouen. The main event of Hexagone MMA 46 puts Anzor Baybatyrov, the Norman fighter who knocked out Paul Dena in 98 seconds in June, against Serbia’s Bozidar Trivunovic. For Baybatyrov, Hexagone MMA in Rouen is a new role: the favorite, at home.

Key takeaways

Hexagone MMA comes to Rouen for the first time

A new city on the map

Hexagone MMA has been building a national map one arena at a time, and Rouen is the newest pin. The promotion’s 46th event is set for Saturday, September 12, at the Zénith de la Métropole Rouen Normandie in Le Grand-Quevilly. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., the first fights start at 7 p.m. and the main card at 9 p.m.

The event airs on RMC Sport in France and on DAZN internationally. Tickets range from 29 to 149 euros.

Riding the Lyon record

Rouen comes right after the biggest night in the promotion’s history. In June, Hexagone MMA 45 drew more than 12,000 spectators to the LDLC Arena in Lyon, a record for a French league. The promotion has already announced a return to that arena on June 4, 2027. The Rouen card is smaller, but it has the fighter who made that Lyon night.

Anzor Baybatyrov, from upset to favorite

98 seconds that changed his status

Baybatyrov (7-2) was the underdog in Lyon. Paul Dena was unbeaten, the star of the night and the name on the poster. Baybatyrov knocked him out at 1:38 of the first round, one of the biggest upsets French MMA has seen, in front of the largest crowd a French league had ever drawn.

After the fight, he kept it simple: “I had a great training camp, I worked hard for this moment, and I want to thank everyone who helped me get here.” For this camp he went further and joined Nicolas Ott’s team, the group that also prepares Benoît Saint Denis and Nassourdine Imavov.

A home fight, and a new kind of pressure

The Norman fighter now fights in his own region for the first time with Hexagone. That changes the job. In Lyon he had nothing to lose. In Rouen, the crowd expects a win, and the favorite’s role brings a pressure he has not carried before.

I had a great training camp, I worked hard for this moment, and I want to thank everyone who helped me get here.
— Anzor Baybatyrov, after his win over Paul Dena

Bozidar Trivunovic and the rest of the card

A bigger, longer opponent

Trivunovic (7-2) arrives from Serbia for his first fight under the Hexagone banner. He is taller than Baybatyrov and has the longer reach, which makes him a real physical problem for a fighter who won his biggest fight by closing the distance fast. If Baybatyrov gets inside early, the Lyon script is available. If Trivunovic keeps him at range, the night gets longer and harder.

Baudot vs Sene, and five more fights

The co-main event is a heavyweight fight between Alan Baudot (7-5) and Lamine Sene (7-9). The card also features Veronika Zajicova against Laetitia Gallardo, Hugo Boigeol Baggioni against Haik Khodedanian, Souhil Arezki against Zelim Umarov, and Jonathan Garcia against Alan Cordeiro.

Follow French MMA with real numbers

The profiles of Alan Baudot and Lamine Sene, and the results of the French scene, are in the FightHub app, updated after every event. Download it to follow Hexagone MMA 46 and see where Baybatyrov goes next.