Hexagone MMA 47: two withdrawals and a title fight settled in 100 seconds

Main event: the card reshuffled until the very last moment

On paper, the cards were stacked perfectly for Toulouse. The announced matchup pitted undefeated local prospect Owen Jason against Nicolae Bivol for the lightweight belt (-70 kg). The title had been vacated by Wilson Varela, who left to try his luck at KSW, one of Europe's biggest leagues.

Then Jason left the table. Veteran Damien Lapilus took his place, and the matchup took on a new look: less local fervor, more experience. The card still held together.

Then it fell apart a second time. Lapilus withdrew at the last moment, and David Sipra, scheduled to face Azevedo Junior in the co-main event, agreed to step up and fight for the title. Sipra went all in.

His background fit the gamble. Nicknamed “The Sergeant”, Sipra is a former military serviceman who served in an elite army unit, with missions in Lebanon and the Central African Republic. Turning down a fight has never been part of his game.

From Poitiers to Toulouse, Nicolae Bivol's revenge

Bivol had already come close to this belt. In March 2025 in Poitiers, he fought Wilson Varela for it but failed to claim it. In May, Théo Ulrich beat him again in the semifinals of the in-house tournament. The Moldovan arrived in Toulouse with scores to settle.

It took him just one minute and forty seconds. An elbow, a flurry of punches, the referee stepping in: Bivol is the Hexagone MMA lightweight champion. Two opponents changed in front of him, but not his game plan.

Sipra lost the hand, not face. Accepting a title fight at the last minute is still a gamble few fighters dare to take.

Who shook the Zénith before the title fight?

The card delivered mostly quick finishes. Six of the seven pro fights ended before the final bell. The Zénith never had time to catch its breath.

The quickest? Morgane Dehaye. A kick to the liver folded Alison Canot 57 seconds into the first round. A pinpoint strike.

Quentin Arola kept up the same pace against Azevedo Junior, Sipra's original opponent: KO at 1:54 of the opening round. Ugo Vidal, meanwhile, let his ground strikes do the talking against Morgan Thong, who was stopped at 4:21, still in the first round.

Only Elie Caille had to go the distance across three rounds against Mahamadou Soukouna. He won by split decision: proof that sometimes a hand is played right down to the final card.

RMC Sport uploaded the full first fights of the night: a chance to get a feel for the Zénith before the belt changed hands.

Our verdict: Galko's triangle, the night's winning card

On a night dominated by KOs, Tomáš Galko played a different card. Against Axel Alfandari, the Slovak locked in a triangle choke, a submission hold applied with the legs, until his opponent tapped at 3:46 of the second round. The only submission on the pro card.

For the most complete fight, our pick is Nessim Khettou. Against Mohammed Amine Moufrij, he built his victory round by round before finishing at 1:07 of the third round. A fight that builds, wears you down, then turns: exactly what you come looking for cageside.

Still, the night's big winner was Nicolae Bivol. He arrived without the scheduled opponent, then without the scheduled replacement, and left with the belt around his waist.