Morgan Charrière vs. Gabriel Miranda, UFC Paris Ceremonial Credit: UFC
Featherweight Morgan Charrière, the top contender at UFC Paris on Saturday, was hoping to right the ship by facing Gabriel Miranda in his native France.
Charrière (19-10-1), 28, has extensive professional MMA experience but won’t make his UFC debut until 2023. He lost to Chepe Mariscal in April last year with a record of 1 win and 1 loss. Playing at home against Miranda gave him a chance to do something in front of a crowd.
Miranda (17-6) is one of the quieter fighters in the featherweight division, but he made his UFC debut against Benoit St. Denis and is a fighter who can’t handle light fights. He defeated Shane Young at UFC 293 and was looking to make it two wins in a row against Charriere.
Charriere vs. Miranda started in a clinch match, with Charriere pushing Milana up against the cage. A battle ensued over head position, wrist control, and potential takedowns, with Miranda attempting a jump guard about two minutes later. Charrière chose to remain standing and not engage, which brought the fight back to the center.
There, after a brief exchange, Miranda went for a takedown, but Charriere sprawled for the takedown and got one himself instead. However, Miranda scrambled to turn it around with about a minute left. Charrière was on his knees and Miranda was on his back, but he was so high up that the French fighter was able to stand up.
Morgan Charriere struggled a bit in the first round before suffering an abrupt end in the second round. When Miranda shifted and turned, they crossed their legs. He threw a sloppy backfist, but Charriere connected with a clean right that dropped Miranda. Charriere landed a follow-up ground strike or two to seal the deal and earn his second consecutive finish on the main card of UFC Paris.
Official results: Morgan Charrière def. Gabriel Miranda KO (punch), round 2, 0:27
