ARES 43 did not produce a unified featherweight champion. Josh O’Connor and Fabacary Diatta went 5 rounds at the Adidas Arena in Paris on Friday and the judges could not separate them: a majority draw. In the co-main event, Alexis Nicolas stopped Ilyasse Drabo in the first round, his 2nd win in 2 MMA fights.
Key takeaways
- Josh O'Connor and Fabacary Diatta fought to a majority draw after 5 rounds at ARES 43, so the featherweight title was not unified.
- 2 judges scored it 47-47 and the third 48-46 for Diatta, who scored a knockdown in round 4 before O'Connor took round 5 on the ground.
- Alexis Nicolas beat Ilyasse Drabo by TKO in round 1, and 5 of the 9 fights on the card ended inside the distance.
ARES 43 main event: a draw that settles nothing
5 rounds, no winner
The fight swung from one man to the other. Diatta controlled the early rounds on the feet, O’Connor took over with his grappling in round 3, Diatta dropped him in round 4, and O’Connor finished strong with wrestling and ground-and-pound in round 5.
The scorecards
2 judges had it 47-47 and the third 48-46 for Diatta: a majority draw. O’Connor leaves Paris unbeaten at 10-0-1, Diatta at 10-1-1.
No unified champion
The fight was billed as a unification between the undisputed champion and the interim champion. With a draw, there is no single featherweight champion at ARES, and a rematch is the obvious next step.
Alexis Nicolas confirms in round 1
Kicks, then 2 knockdowns
Nicolas broke Drabo’s stance with low kicks and body kicks, dropped him twice with his hands and finished him with ground strikes in less than 3 minutes. The former kickboxing world champion is now 2-0 in MMA, both wins by stoppage.
The answer to the question
Before the fight, the doubt was whether Nicolas could be tested by a puncher on the feet. He answered by keeping it where he is strongest and ending it before Drabo’s power mattered.
Next step
2 fights in, both won by stoppage, Nicolas has done what was asked of him. The next booking will tell whether ARES now puts a more experienced opponent in front of him.
Une guerre totale pour un match nul entre O'CONNOR et DIATTA
The rest of the ARES 43 results
Main card
Wael Kambouche, 19, submitted Ulysse Obame Ndong in round 1, Vincent Yerly stopped Joelson Ferreira by TKO in round 1, and Akhmed Amaev beat Luke Shanks by unanimous decision.
Prelims
Jimmy Vienot and Brad Jean-Elie both won by first-round TKO, Kevin Tchoupa beat William Loussala by unanimous decision and Anuj beat Dylan Antoine by unanimous decision.
Follow ARES with real numbers
Updated records and our ratings across European promotions are in the FightHub app. Download it to see where O’Connor, Diatta and Nicolas stand after Paris.
- ARES 43 in Paris: O’Connor and Diatta unify the featherweight title, Alexis Nicolas returns
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