Hexagone MMA, Europe’s fast-emerging mixed martial arts promoter, has finalied the fight card for Hexagone MMA 10 for this Friday, July 28. This comes with the announcement of Anthony Morel (Pro debut) as an opponent for Adam Diop (1-0).
Hexagone MMA 10 will play out at UNESCO world heritage site, the ancient Roman Theatre of Orange, as part of the promotion’s summer series across iconic locations in the French provinces. The event will be broadcast internationally on DAZN.
Hailing from Reunion and fighting out of the MMA Factory, Morel has signed to a three-fight deal with Hexagone MMA. Though the 30-year-old is debuting in the cage, he is a French national champion in wrestling. Diop enters his second professional bout in MMA but also boasts a strong wrestling background, with a 15-fight professional record in the Senegalese form (which permits striking) and 13 victories by knockout. It was by the same method that he also safely secured his MMA debut in just 24 seconds. The pair will meet in the opening bout for the event’s main card.
Hexagone MMA 10 is headlined by Gregory Bouchelaghem (5-4) AKA “Greg MMA” vs. Gianluca Locicero (4-4).
Influencer “Greg MMA” is a national founding figure of MMA, competing between 2003 and 2006. He went on to establish himself as a celebrated coach and grow a large social media audience after featuring on the YouTube channel of flagship magazine Karate Bushido. With the ban on MMA lifted in France in 2020, the legend now returns to the cage at the age of 45 after a 20-year hiatus. His opponent Locicero trains out of Padova Top Team and is similarly aged at 46. The Paduan is a former participant of Calcio Storico, the historic combat soccer game traditional to Florence, and can be expected to be up for a brawl.
The co-main event features a title bout between Reunion’s Samantha Jean Francois (7-6) and Laura Balin (15-7). Jean Francois will be defending the Hexagone MMA strawweight title for a second time, having successfully fended off Brazil’s Andressa Araujo with a submission in the final seconds at Hexagone 7. The 36-year-old first secured the belt at Hexagone MMA 4 via first-round submission and comes into Hexagone MMA 10 on a four-fight win streak. Opponent Balin, aged 43, brings the greater experience and has previously fought on Invicta FC and ONE Championship. She poses a serious threat to the champion with 93 percent of her victories achieved by finishes (submissions and strikes).
Elsewhere on the card, U.K.’s Walter “The Sniper” Gahadza (19-8) is returning from a comeback loss to “Barakuda” Guih for the Hexagone MMA welterweight title at HXMMA 7. With 19 wins and 8 losses across a 12-year MMA career, the welterweight has a history of delivering first-round finishes via submission and strikes. He will be looking to utilize his devastating potential to recover at HXMMA 10 at the expense of opponent Soufiene Oudina (9-9). Fighting out of France, Oudina boasts 10 years’ professional experience on the European circuit, with 75 percent of his victories achieved by submission.
See below for the finalized fight card.
MAIN CARD
- Gregory Bouchelaghem vs. Gianluca Locicero
- Samantha Jean Francois vs. Laura Balin
- Walter Gahadza vs. Soufiene Oudina
- Alix Jean Guillaume vs. Cedric Severac
- Axel Nobou vs. Roland Szolnoki
- Adam Diop vs. Anthony Morel
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Laid Zerhouni vs. Chresus Mokima
- Yassin Chtatou vs. Matthieu Moya
- Adam Afroune vs. Nicolae Bivol
