| Farès Ziam | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1997-03-21) March 21, 1997 (age 27) Vénissieux, France |
| Other names | Smile Killer |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb) |
| Division | Lightweight |
| Reach | 75 in (191 cm)[1] |
| Team | Team Ezbiri (2014–2021) Sanford MMA (2021–present)[2] |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 19 |
| Wins | 15 |
| By knockout | 5 |
| By submission | 4 |
| By decision | 6 |
| Losses | 4 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Farès Ziam (born March 21, 1997) is a French mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Born into a Franco-Algerian family in 1997, he was a fan of mixed martial arts and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. It was a family affair, with everyone involved in combat sports. His father, Taïeb, who was a former pro boxer that hung up his gloves in the 2000s, has of course had something to do with it. His stepfather did Brazilian jiu-jitsu while his two brothers did Muay Thai. At 12, Ziam began practising combat sports with full contact. At 13, he began doing Brazilian jiu-jitsu, kickboxing and MMA once or twice a week. Starting at 14, he did judo, BJJ and kickboxing for 3 years, he then joined the Ezbiri team in Villeurbanne to do MMA professionally.[3][4]
Starting his professional MMA career in 2014, Ziam compiled a 10–2 record fighting mostly in the regional European scene, winning the HIT and LFC lightweight championships in the process.[5]
Ziam, as a replacement for Magomed Mustafaev, made his promotional debut against Don Madge on September 7, 2019, at UFC 242inAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.[6] Ziam lost the fight by unanimous decision.[7]
Ziam faced Jamie MullarkeyatUFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie on October 18, 2020. He won the fight via unanimous decision.[8]
Ziam faced Luigi Vendramini on June 12, 2021, at UFC 263.[9] He won the fight via majority decision.[10]
Ziam was scheduled to face Terrance McKinney on November 20, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 198.[11] However, one of McKinney's cornermen got COVID-19 the day of the bout and it was scrapped.[12] The pairing was rescheduled and eventually took place at UFC Fight Night 202 on February 26, 2022.[13] Ziam lost the bout via first round rear-naked choke.[14]
Ziam faced Michal Figlak on September 3, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 209.[15] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[16]
Ziam faced Jai Herbert on July 22, 2023, at UFC on ESPN+ 82.[17] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[18]
Ziam faced Claudio Puelles on February 24, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 237.[19] Despite being taken down seven times, Ziam won the bout by split decision after landing more strikes.[20]
Ziam is scheduled to face Matt Frevola on September 28, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 245.[21]
| 19 matches | 15 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 5 | 0 |
| By submission | 4 | 3 |
| By decision | 6 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 15–4 | Claudio Puelles | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 | February 24, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Mexico City, Mexico | |
| Win | 14–4 | Jai Herbert | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura | July 22, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Win | 13–4 | Michal Figlak | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Tuivasa | September 3, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Paris, France | |
| Loss | 12–4 | Terrance McKinney | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Green | February 26, 2022 | 1 | 2:11 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 12–3 | Luigi Vendramini | Decision (majority) | UFC 263 | June 12, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Glendale, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 11–3 | Jamie Mullarkey | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie | October 18, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Loss | 10–3 | Don Madge | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 242 | September 7, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 10–2 | Yassine Belhadj | Submission (guillotine choke) | European Beatdown 5 | February 2, 2019 | 3 | 1:05 | La Louvière, Belgium | |
| Win | 9–2 | Julio Matos | Decision (unanimous) | European Beatdown 4 | October 13, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Mons, Belgium | |
| Win | 8–2 | Abner Lloveras | KO (punch) | HIT Fighting Championship 5 | March 10, 2018 | 2 | 0:24 | Zürich, Switzerland | Won the HIT Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–2 | Alexey Valivakhin | TKO (punches and elbows) | WWFC 8 | September 27, 2017 | 1 | 3:01 | Kyiv, Ukraine | |
| Win | 6–2 | Artem Tanshyn | TKO (elbows) | Road To WWFC 4 | April 29, 2017 | 1 | 3:18 | Kyiv, Ukraine | |
| Loss | 5–2 | Haotian Wu | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Kunlun Fight MMA 7 | December 15, 2016 | 1 | 3:41 | Beijing, China | |
| Win | 5–1 | Damien Lapilus | KO (head kick) | Lyon Fighting Championship 7 | November 19, 2016 | 1 | N/A | Lyon, France | Lightweight debut. Won the LFC Lightweight Championship. |
| Loss | 4–1 | Viskhan Magomadov | Submission (rear-naked choke) | ACB 46 | September 24, 2016 | 1 | 3:58 | Olsztyn, Poland | Catchweight (159 lb) bout. |
| Win | 4–0 | Laïd Zerhouni | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Gladiator Fighting Arena 3 | March 5, 2016 | 3 | 2:32 | Nîmes, France | |
| Win | 3–0 | Jean Dutriaux | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | 100% Fight 27 | February 4, 2016 | 1 | 1:50 | Paris, France | Welterweight debut. |
| Win | 2–0 | Dominic Yeo | TKO (punches) | WSFC 3: The Third Strike | November 28, 2015 | 2 | 4:58 | Dornbirn, Austria | |
| Win | 1–0 | Guerra Mathias | Submission (armbar) | Lyon Fighting Championship 4 | November 22, 2014 | 1 | 4:12 | Lyon, France | Middleweight debut. |
