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Competing at the highest level in combat sports is perhaps the most unforgiving sporting venture an individual can undertake because appearances are limited and the professional cost of having a bad night is tremendous, and that’s not even factoring in the potential physical expenses paid. Baseball players generally get three at-bats a night and the team plays 162 games a year. If you struck out last time up, you’re likely to get another chance or two in that same game to have success, and if not, there's almost always another game tomorrow. Hockey and basketball players get on the ice or the court 82 times a season, plus playoffs, and have countless opportunities to have success, with failure costing them points in the standings, but the chance to rebound coming again after a sleep or two. Watch Every UFC Event On Paramount+ Combat sports athletes get to fight two or three times a year, on average, and an ill-timed loss can halt years of progress in a flash. While every fighter efforts to be as mentally and physically ready as possible on those rare nights when they make the walk to the Octagon, sometimes they just aren’t — they’re human too, after all — and a lengthy winning streak and opportunity to climb higher up the rankings goes by the boards in a matter of minutes. “The lesson was my mindset,” began Farès Ziam, speaking about his June loss to Tom Nolan that halted a six-fight winning streak and stalled his progress up the lightweight division. “With Tom, I was too much relaxed; I didn’t have the fire in me to fight good, to go to the fight, to finish the fight. Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there`s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world`s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass! Upgrade licenceThis video is not available in your country There was a problem while loading content. Please try again. “I start slowly and he started good. He won round-by-round, and I won the last round, but it’s not good enough. Fifteen minutes is very fast, and I wasn’t myself in these 15 minutes. “We talked a lot the day after the fight and we said after a six-fight win streak, we were maybe too relaxed for this fight because after my [Nazim] Sadykhov fight, [I thought I was] gonna fight a big guy,” added Ziam. “Fight Week was good, we trained super-good for this fight, but the fire was not here. I was too relaxed for this fight, and we need pressure to be good.” MORE UFC PARIS: Fight By Fight Preview | Fighters On The Rise | Get To Know Salahdine Parnasse | Main Event Preview The letdown of fighting backwards in the division after earning a stoppage win over Sadykhov at UFC 323 is understandable but another piece of the puzzle that makes competing at his level such a dangerous balancing act, especially in a division as flush with talent. You can want more, believe you merit more, and show the kind of consistent positive results that less successful contemporaries would trade for in a heartbeat and still get paired off with a dangerous Australian who takes full advantage of the moment your competitive fires aren’t burning as hot as they need to be. It's a painful lesson, but one that Ziam has taken to heart, and thankfully for the 29-year-old “Smile Killer,” he gets the opportunity to make a relatively quick return in hopes of immediately righting the ship. “For me, it’s very good,” Ziam said of hustling back into action this weekend at Accor Arena. “It’s very hard to fight every three months, so after my fight, I spoke with my manager, I said, ‘I want to fight in Paris.’ “That was the plan before — that’s why we chose to fight in June — but for me, it’s very important to fight in Paris because I’m French, there is a lot of hype on this event, and I said, ‘I need to be there.’” DWCS: Week 4 Results + Scorecards | Biggest Storylines From Week 4 This will be the third time Ziam has fought on home soil, with his six-fight winning streak beginning with a victory over Michal Figlak when the promotion made its Parisian debut in 2022 and continued two years later when he stopped Matt Frevola with a high knee along the fence in 2024. For some athletes, competing at home can be a chore or simply another day at the office, but for Ziam, each opportunity to fight in front of the French audience and be surrounded by his family and friends remains special. “It’s still a big deal because it’s only one time a year,” he said with a laugh, echoing a sentiment many non-American athletes have expressed over the years. “It’s not enough to have this feeling. “For me, it’s very important because all my friends come, the hours for watching the fight are good. It’s very important for me. READ: September's Must-See Matchups “Always in Paris I do a great performance,” he added, shaking his head and smiling. “I am better in Paris; I don’t know why. I think it’s because I love to fight with a lot of people, a lot of fans in the arena; I love the support and they give me a lot of strength, power for the fight. Before UFC, I always fight with a lot of people, a lot of fans; I like the big cage.” He’ll have the big Octagon to operate in this weekend, but the support of the fans may not be entirely his, as in a rare occurrence, Ziam faces off with one of the four other French lightweights on the roster this weekend when he takes on Axel Sola. Historically, international events such as this take on a “Host Nation versus The World” feel, with athletes from the host country and surrounding areas generally lining up opposite someone coming from abroad. Occasionally, events in Brazil have featured two Brazilians sharing the cage, but this will be the first time two French athletes have competed against one another in the UFC. To his credit, Ziam was completely unbothered by the booking and sees the all-France affair as both a representation of how far the nation has come in terms of producing talent and a chance to serve as “The People’s Main Event” this weekend in Paris. FIGHT WEEK INTERVIEWS: Axel Sola | Dan Hooker | Salahdine Parnasse “I know for you it does not make sense to fight a French guy in France or maybe because I have a lot of fights int eh UFC and he has only three fights, but it’s my job, he’s a good fighter; I take him seriously,” he said of Sola, who enters off a first-round submission win over Ismael Bonfim and sporting a 12-1-1 record overall. “I was supposed to fight another guy, and I think maybe he’s injured, I don’t know. “Now we are five French [fighters] in the lightweight division; that has never happened in another division. Also, France deserves a big card and to have me versus Axel is the main event for the people. “Of course I would like a great opponent — maybe King Green, Top 15, something like that, but I’m not the matchmaker,” added the dutiful professional. “I trust in him and let’s do this!” After stumbling in the summer, the return to France feels like a prime opportunity for Ziam to hit reset and start another run of success, and in his eyes, the way to do so is quite simple. “Be myself and go to finish him,” he said. “If not finish, do a great fight, be exciting; be me and enjoy the moment.” Don't miss a moment of UFC Fight Night: Hooker vs Parnasse, live from Accor Arena in Paris, France on September 5, 2026. This event airs at a special time: prelims start at 12pm ET/9am PT, followed by the main card at 3pm ET/12pm PT. Stream the entire card live on Paramount+.