The Nice native, who is registered with the Boxing Squad, successfully defended his -84 kg title against Henrique Shiguemoto after a strategically prolonged fight during the ARES 37 event held in Nice.
The ARES 37 evening offered the Nice audience a high-stakes fight between two contrasting profiles, with the middleweight title (-84 kg) on the line. Held by Virgil Augen for nearly 400 days, the Maralpin was defending his title at home against Henrique Shiguemoto, an experienced fighter contesting the 20th fight of his professional career. Before entering the cage, Henrique Shiguemoto had a record of 15 wins, including 14 by KO, and four losses, while Virgil Augen had an undefeated record with eight wins and no losses.
This matchup placed the Nice champion against an opponent known for his ability to end fights swiftly in the first round.
The preparation context added another dimension to this title defense. Virgil Augen approached the bout with a right leg injury sustained two months prior, as well as another injury that had already led to a postponement of the fight during the summer. Despite these physical constraints, the Nice native registered with the Boxing Squad insisted on defending his title in front of his home crowd, in a venue supportive of his cause.
A deliberately prolonged fight
From the first minutes, the strategy was clear. Virgil Augen never sought to bring his opponent to the ground, favoring striking, a choice made against a fighter known for his power and effectiveness standing up. With control, the champion did more than just rival at the start of the match, despite his opponent’s reputation for finishing fights quickly in the first round.
Caution was at the heart of the approach. Virgil Augen wanted the fight to last to also test himself, in a logic of progression that goes beyond the mere result. The exchanges remained measured, without haste, with a visible intention to gather information and work over time.
Henrique Shiguemoto maintained a relaxed attitude throughout the early rounds, displaying smiles and attempting to disrupt the Maralpin’s tactics with changes in rhythm and destabilization attempts. The fight remained primarily standing during the first two rounds, with neither fighter managing to establish a clear dominance.
At the beginning of the third round, the scenario quickly changed. Virgil Augen landed a counterstrike that put Henrique Shiguemoto against the ropes, opening a decisive window in the fight. The Nice native seized this opportunity to bring his opponent to the ground and concluded with a submission after one minute in the third round. This sequence allowed the champion to retain his ARES belt, at the end of a fight managed with patience and clarity.
Virgil Augen: “Go to the UFC and succeed there”
At the end of the fight, Virgil Augen’s response was first addressed to the audience present in the venue. “Thank you Nice audience, it is an honor for me to fight in front of you. This city has given me everything. It is where I met my coaches, Axel, my partners. Thank you to the city of Nice for also allowing the organization of events like ARES and for sponsoring and taking care of its athletes in the best way possible. We are fortunate here to evolve, it’s not for nothing that the Nice ecosystem is developing so much.”
The champion then reflected on the content of the fight and on the choice to prioritize the standing phases: “I am very happy to have been able to express myself standing. That was the goal, especially against an elite striker like Shiguemoto. He has more than 10 first-round KOs, so the goal was to see progress in the standing phases, before thanking his staff, a big thank you to Jérôme, we worked a lot on it, I am happy, it is starting to show but, well, nature always takes its course. It’s still a finish by submission, but I am pleased with the work done. What I want is to go as far as possible in this sport, continue to progress, take on the best, go where the best are, and naturally aim to go to the UFC and succeed there.”
Speaking on Canal +, Virgil Augen remained focused on the sensations and the role of the fight in the sporting trajectory he wishes to give to his career: “The most important thing is to gain sensations in this cage. To succeed in having striking phases, to take time, but good time in terms of cash-back, time where I am dominating in the grappling phases, all of that. Really time where there are exchanges and I knew that he was the perfect opponent for that. It’s really the test before reaching the UFC, he’s a good striker and I was able to strike with him.”
With this victory at ARES 37, the middleweight belt remains in Nice, while the future path is now clearly announced. With the goal of joining his friend Axel Sola and Manon Fiorot at the UFC.
