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City Kickboxing's French-Kiwi Jousset braces for high-stakes homecoming at UFC Fight Night in Paris
Stephen Foote • September 27th, 2024 11:29 am
It will be a full circle moment for French-born, New Zealand-based welterweight Kevin Jousset this weekend, when he returns to the UFC stage in Paris.
Jousset will square off with Bryan Battle on the main card of the UFC Fight Night on Sunday (NZ time), where he'll have a chance to continue his stellar start to his tenure with the world's premier MMA promotion in front of a cacophonous crowd filled with friends and family at the Accor Arena.
The 31-year-old from Bordeaux will be out to earn his third consecutive UFC win against the American, putting his skills refined in Auckland's renowned City Kickboxing to the test in the latest step of a dream conjured in France and realised in Aotearoa.
Five years ago, Jousset made the pivotal decision to relocate to New Zealand to train fulltime under Eugene Bareman and his team to try and earn a spot on the UFC roster, and the results so far speak for themselves.
"They've helped me a lot," Jousset told SENZ.
"Obviously, they have a lot of skills, a lot of knowledge. They taught me a lot of things and you can see my talent has been developing over the years.
"I've been able to show way more skills each fight. I'm just looking forward to showing more skills in this one, all the skills that they've been teaching me.
"They've been great for my career and I'm looking forward to keep learning from them."
This weekend marks the biggest opportunity of his young UFC career to date, fighting in front of a sold-out crowd of his rabid countrymen against the hard-nosed North Carolina native, who's chasing a three-fight streak of his own.
The event is just the third the UFC has held in France, who finally eased their hardline stance against MMA. In 2016, the French Government refused to recognise it as a sport, enforcing a ban that was lifted four years later.
The 2023 visit to the French capital featured one of the most raucous UFC crowds of the year, and with rising lightweight Benoit Saint-Denis headlining this weekend's card against Renato Moicano, the decibel levels are expected to lift again significantly. The 16,000 tickets on offer sold out in four minutes.
Having pictured such an occasion in his own head immeasurable times over, It's a prospect that has Jousset salivating with anticipation - one he concedes will likely surpass all of his wildest expectations.
"I've visualised this for so long now," he said.
"But I was talking to some French fighters and they're telling me how insane it is compared to all the other crowds they've fought in front of. Apparently the changing room is underneath the arena, which means when the crowd is going insane and jumping on the floor, you can feel the changing room shaking and buzzing - noise everywhere.
"So, you can't really get ready for that. You need to kind of forget about it, focus on the fight itself and be ready to throw down.
"Being on the main card as well for my first fight here in France for me, it's a huge deal. I'm looking forward to introducing myself to the French people in the best way possible."
After his move to New Zealand in 2019, Jousset gradually worked his way up the ranks with a string of impressive outings on regional cards both in Australia and New Zealand.
His TKO victory to capture the HEX Welterweight title in Melbourne win 2023 was the final stamp he needed to secure his passport to the UFC, and he's kept that momentum on the upward trajectory.
He immediately made his mark with a first-round submission win in Sydney at UFC 293, backing that up swiftly with a one-sided decision win over gritty Korean Song Kenan in December. His high activity rate was then spoiled by an injury withdrawal, with Jared Gooden unable to make their May appointment in Missouri.
In hindsight, that withdrawal may have been a blessing in disguise - ensuring he's free and healthy to take up a spot on his home card with a much brighter spotlight for him to make the kind of undeniable statement that could turbocharge his stocks.
"I think my name is going to get very, very big if I get a great performance," Jousset admitted.
"Getting to fight on my home soil for the first time, I'm just going to make my name much bigger after a big win. And in terms of who I'll be fighting next, top 15 or not, I don't know. And at this stage, I don't care."
Either way, Jousset will return to New Zealand and the mats at CKB, where daily training pitted against the likes of UFC stars Israel Adesanya, Dan Hooker, and Carlos Ulberg
Bareman will be in his corner this weekend, alongside in-house wrestling expert Andrei Paulet, and one of his French coaches.
Obvious training advantages aside, the judo specialist says the isolation of life 'down under' - where the "distractions" of friends and family are removed - has been enormously beneficial.
Simply put, The Kiwi Life just suits him.
"I obviously know a lot of people now and I feel very comfortable in this country," Jousset said. "I've been loving it and that's why I stayed there for so long.
"I can't complain. Everyone has been great to me and making me feel welcome and everything. That's why I'm planning to stay here for a lot longer now.
"I just love the country. I love the people. I love the culture. It's been great."
And among the tricolores furore this weekend is sure to provide, his taonga pounamu will be hanging around his neck as he makes his entrance - a symbol of strength form his home away from home.
"We'll represent France and New Zealand at the same time, so I'm very proud of that, for sure."
