It did not take long for Ziam to find himself back under contract.
As a young prospect who showed some potential through four UFC
fights, it was a bit surprising when the “Smile Killer” did not get
his contract renewed, but with the UFC making its debut in Ziam’s
native France, he was an obvious choice to get picked back up ahead
of this card. Ziam’s approach to fighting makes sense. A rangy
striker, Ziam relies on his power and size to disincentivize his
opponent from closing in, and failing that, the Frenchman tries to
get by on a solid clinch game. Ziam has shown some obvious
improvements since his UFC debut in 2019—he is both clearly a
harder hitter and a stronger wrestler—but it does feel a bit like
his success is dependent on his opponent’s passivity. Luigi
Vendramini had plenty of success by pivoting to aggression late
in their fight, and Terrance
McKinney’s reckless approach resulted in a quick submission
win. Still just 25 years old, Ziam can clearly develop into
something interesting, though he gets far from a layup here with
Figlak. Poland’s Figlak came up the Cage Warriors Fighting
Championship ranks ahead of this UFC debut and showed off a
well-rounded game in doing so. The finishes dried up as “Mad Dog”
reached better regional competition, but his decision wins
demonstrated both powerful striking and wrestling. Aggression is
going to be the main factor. Figlak could have served to put his
foot on the gas pedal more as recently as a few fights ago, so it
will be interesting to see if the size and power that Ziam provides
can discourage the UFC newcomer from pursuing the type of pressure
he has shown in recent efforts. With both men appearing durable,
this should be a close one, but the bet is that Figlak can march
forward enough to cause damage and hold his own in any clinch or
wrestling exchanges, even if this will not be a particularly clean
victory. The pick is Figlak via decision.
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