For the first time in his professional career, UFC welterweight prospect Kevin Jousset is set to compete in front of his compatriots.
Jousset made a splash on debut last September in Sydney, following two-division championship glory under Australia's Hex Fight Series banner with a first-round submission at UFC 293.
The Frenchman has long trained alongside the likes of Israel Adesanya and Dan Hooker at New Zealand's City Kickboxing, fighting exclusively in Oceania prior to his UFC signing. And having competed on United States soil for the first time in his sophomore Octagon outing, Jousset is now set for a homecoming this fall.
Per MMA Junkie's Nolan King, "Air" has been added to the upcoming UFC Fight Night in Paris, France, on September 28. There, he's set for a step up in competition against Bryan Battle, winner of The Ultimate Fighter 29 middleweight tournament.
Home Favorite Jousset Targets Third Straight UFC Win At The Expense Of Battle
When Jousset makes the walk to what will no doubt be a positive reception at Accor Arena, he'll be looking to maintain his perfect UFC slate.
Jousset (10-2) lost two of his first seven pro fights, the first of which came against current top five welterweight contender Jack Della Maddalena under the Eternal MMA banner. But since a split decision setback in 2022, the 31-year-old has won five straight to have two titles in his possession, as well as a UFC contract.
And after submitting Kiefer Crosbie Down Under and outpointing Song Kenan at the Apex last December, "Air" is next tasked with stalling the welterweight ambitions of Battle (10-2, 1 NC) in his first assignment of 2024.
One fight on from his TUF triumph, "The Butcher" committed to a move down in weight, and he debuted at 170 pounds emphatically by knocking out Takashi Sato with a brutal head kick just 44 seconds into their fight. While he subsequently fell to a decision against the highly regarded Rinat Fakhretdinov, he bounced back with a 14-second knockout of Gabe Green and second-round submission of AJ Fletcher.
Having had his strong start opposite Ange Loosa earlier this year rendered null when the Swiss fighter couldn't continue following an eye poke, Battle will look to get back to the winner's circle by upsetting Jousset's home crowd in the French capital later this year.
With this addition, the current fights expected to take place at the UFC Fight Night in Paris on September 28 are as follows:
- Renato Moicano vs. Benoît Saint Denis (lightweight main event)
- Nassourdine Imavov vs. Brendan Allen (middleweight)
- Germaine de Randamie vs. Nora Cornolle (women's bantamweight)
- William Gomis vs. Joanderson Brito (featherweight)
- Kevin Jousset vs. Bryan Battle (welterweight)
- Daniel Barez vs. Victor Altamirano (flyweight)
- Oumar Sy vs. Da Woon Jung (light Heavyweight)
- Dariya Zhelezniakova vs. Ailín Pérez (women's bantamweight)