Ares FC 34: Diakhaté and Begai Battle to a Draw While Kacapor Captures Heavyweight Gold

Paris’ Adidas Arena played host to Ares Fighting Championship 34 on September 13, and the promotion delivered one of its most unpredictable cards yet. In the main event, undefeated Senegalese sensation Mansour Diakhaté put his light‑heavyweight title on the line against French contender Patrick Begai. After five closely contested rounds, judges were split, resulting in a draw that allowed Diakhaté to retain his belt but left fans clamoring for a rematch.

The co‑main event crowned a new heavyweight champion. Swiss knockout artist Mladen Kacapor floored A. B. Bathily with a right cross and finished with ground strikes at 2:33 of round two to become Ares’ new titleholder. Strawweight contender Isabela Silva outlasted D. Benouaich in a spirited three‑round battle, earning a split decision and setting up a run toward the vacant Ares strawweight belt. In another closely fought contest, P. Chaichongcharden and Portugal’s A. M. da Silva fought to a majority draw after three rounds, leaving their lightweight futures unresolved.

The highlight of the undercard was French welterweight Mikael Rakotondrazanany, who stopped S. Oudina with knees and punches just 42 seconds into the second round. Fellow welterweight M. Soumah needed even less time to dispatch A. Matewa, flattening him with an overhand right and follow‑up punches in 21 seconds. In the prelims, lightweight prospect Mehdi Diakite remained unbeaten by submitting A. Adzhamyan with a rear‑naked choke at 3:35 of round two, heavyweight R. Bouzy choked out veteran D. Sokoudjou in the third round and Irish featherweight Jordan Bradshaw improved to 2‑0 with a unanimous decision over A. Cherifi. Ares FC 34’s mix of draws, knockouts and submissions kept fans on edge and set up multiple rematches and title fights for the promotion’s next visit to Paris.