“It will last a little longer, maybe two rounds, then it will be enough. » A few weeks before his fight, the second since his return to competition and a victory in 14 short seconds against Gianluca Locicero, Grégory Bouchelaghem, better known as Greg MMA, had warned: he wanted to wage a war. And he almost didn’t lie, since his duel with Czech veteran Martin Horsky, during the 13th Hexagon MMA event, was much shorter. After only 2′30″ minutes of fighting, the Frenchman won by submission.
The confrontation was one-sided. Welcomed by a packed and crazy Zénith de Paris, who did not hesitate to sing several Marseillaises, the flagship figure of the Karate Bushido YouTube channel dominated his opponent from the first seconds, inflicting several devastating kicks. It was ultimately a wonderful jumping knee strike that brought down his opponent. Also a jiu-jitsu specialist, Greg MMA finished with a magnificent arm lock to offer himself a second consecutive victory.
“When we win at home, in front of such a wonderful audience, it’s a great pleasure,” the fighter rejoiced at the microphone of RMC Sport after his victory. I’m always very moved to see you support me like that, I always give my best. It pleases you and I am delighted to have delivered a great performance. We had reviewed the knee strike with my coach just before and I nailed it well. » The next piece on Greg MMA’s menu could be even more substantial since it should be another YouTuber, Ibra TV. A duel eagerly awaited by fans.
The French Ben Lakhdhar and Belhouachi beaten
In the co-main event, Mehdi Ben Lakhdhar did not return to victory. Beaten for the first time in his career, last June, in Reims, before being declared the winner a posteriori following the revelation of his opponent’s doping, the resident of the US Metro lost in a unanimous decision against to the Lithuanian Osvald Federovic. After 15 minutes of fighting, the Frenchman was declared the loser, to the great dismay of his many supporters present at the Zénith in Paris.
A few weeks ago, before learning of the positive test from his former tormentor, Mehdi Ben Lakhdhar explained to us that he was drawing on his latest defeat to prepare for his confrontation. “It’s the fight for redemption, I’m bitterly defeated, I don’t like it,” he railed. I was undefeated until then so I can’t wait to get back there. I took a lot of time, I really questioned a lot of things, I redoubled my efforts and I’m ready to go back. »
Mehdi Ben Lakhdhar was dominated by Osvald Fedorovic’s boxing. (Photo Daniel Derajinski/Icon Sport) 2024 Icon Sport
These efforts ultimately did not pay off. Entering the cage with a Paris Saint-Germain jersey emblazoned with the name of Achraf Hakimi, “The Last Uchiha” seemed to fear another knockout and preferred to settle for a standing fight, at a good distance from his opponent. Too timid, the Frenchman did not inflict enough damage on his opponent to convince the judges to give him victory.
The third French headliner, Nacim Belhouachi, also lost to Belgian Magomed Kadimagomedov after being hit by a kick and submitted via a guillotine. A big blow for the other US Metro resident, who suffered his third defeat in six fights.
