ARES FC 42: Zébo vs. Fialho Headline Paris Title Night

ARES FC 42 takes place on Friday, 3rd July 2026, at Adidas Arena in Paris, with Jordan Zébo defending the welterweight title against André Fialho. The card also features a vacant strawweight title fight in the co-main event, giving the show a strong championship feel from top to bottom.

Main Event

Jordan “Le Fauve” Zébo enters as the reigning welterweight champion and one of France’s most promising homegrown names. He is 10-1 and riding a six-fight winning streak, which gives him both momentum and confidence heading into his first major defense of the title.

André Fialho brings the experience edge. The Portuguese veteran is 17-9 and has already fought at the UFC level, so he arrives in Paris with the kind of résumé that can make a title fight more complicated than the records suggest.

That makes the main event a strong champion-versus-veteran clash. Zébo has the hometown support and the cleaner recent run, while Fialho has the proven durability and big-fight experience that can derail momentum quickly.

Co-Main Event

The co-main event sees Jade Jorand face Radija Aquino for the vacant strawweight championship. That gives ARES FC 42 a second title fight and keeps the spotlight firmly on the women’s divisions as well.

Vacant title bouts often come with extra urgency because both fighters know the belt is there for the taking. That should make the co-main an emotionally charged and highly competitive matchup.

Main Card Depth

The rest of the confirmed main card includes Modibo Diakite vs. Zakaria Hamou at featherweight, Antero dos Santos vs. Denis Palancica at bantamweight, and Rafael Saraiva vs. Reda Hayfa at flyweight. Those bouts help round out the card with a balance of styles and divisions.

That kind of depth matters for an ARES event because it helps the promotion build beyond one or two featured fights. A well-structured undercard also gives local and regional fighters a valuable platform in Paris.

What To Watch

The key question is whether Zébo can keep his winning streak alive against a veteran who has already seen elite competition. If he controls the pace and makes the fight feel like his kind of title defense, he should have the edge.

Fialho’s route is to turn the matchup into a difficult, physical fight and make the champion work for every exchange. If he can do that, he has a real chance to upset the home favorite.

Final Outlook

ARES FC 42 has the makings of a strong Paris title card, led by a welterweight championship defense and a vacant strawweight title fight underneath it. Zébo vs. Fialho gives the event a clear headline attraction, and the supporting bouts add enough depth to make the card feel complete.

With a major venue, championship stakes, and a French champion defending at home, this should be one of the promotion’s more significant summer events.