ARES 28, one of the largest MMA events in France, will be held at the Palais Nikaïa in Nice on January 18, 2025. Axel Sola from Nice will be the main headliner.
This Friday, November 29, the Union Hall of the Nice City Hall was the scene of major announcements for the future of MMA in France. During a press conference, the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, officially announced the ARES 28 event. It will be the first meeting organized by ARES 28 in Nice. This event will take place at the Palais Nikaïa on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
The athletes will have the opportunity to shine in front of no less than 6,000 spectators. Moreover, the city hall plans to buy 1,000 tickets to invite all the MMA clubs in Nice, a symbolic gesture aimed at strengthening ties between the city and this rapidly growing discipline. The event will also be broadcast live on Canal+.
Axel Sola will defend his title
The main event of this ARES 28 will be the defense of the lightweight title by Axel Sola, the reigning champion who trains in Nice. Highly anticipated by local supporters, Axel expressed his excitement: “Proud to represent my city in front of my fellow Niois, for perhaps my last fight in the organization.”
Indeed, the fighter no longer hides his ambition to compete in the premier MMA league: the UFC. He dreams of winning the lightweight belt there: “The current champion is Islam Makhachev, but I would be honored to face anyone from the top 10.”
Virgil Augen present but will not fight
While Axel Sola will be in the cage, ready to defend his title, his training partner Virgil Augen unfortunately won’t be able to fight that evening. The middleweight champion victoriously defended his belt less than a week ago in Marseille. This is too short a time to start a new preparation.
However, he will be near Axel Sola’s corner to support him. He too harbors great ambitions and unabashedly states: “My dream would be to fight for the UFC welterweight belt against Khamzat Chimaev.”
ARES MMA: a national dynamic
Julien Rongier, General Director of ARES, expressed his pride in the continuous growth of MMA in France: “We are very proud to confirm the success of this practice throughout France.”
The first French organization intends to confirm the popularity of MMA for the year 2025. Fourteen events are planned in total, with two-thirds taking place in provincial areas.
Rémi Sauvat
