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A D'Arce choke locked in at 4 minutes 44 seconds of the first round, a referee spreading his arms, and a Frenchman who can finally breathe. On Saturday, July 25 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, Axel Sola turned his career around by submitting Brazilian Ismael Bonfim at UFC Fight Night 282. A submission victory that comes at the perfect time for the French fighter, four months after a loss in a fight designated as Fight of the Year.
Last March, Sola lost to Welshman Mason Jones after three rounds of insane intensity. This setback, the first of his UFC career, could have left a mark. This fight against Jones, designated Fight of the Year by several specialized media, had nevertheless revealed a Sola capable of competing with the European elite. The Frenchman had shown a solid chin and marathon runner's cardio. What he lacked was a victory to validate those promises.
Last March, Sola lost to Welshman Mason Jones after three rounds of insane intensity.
It was not to be. Against Bonfim, the Frenchman immediately imposed his pace, combining standing pressure and ground threats. From the first minutes, the Brazilian understood that the evening would be long.
A domination without appeal
Sola dictated the fight from start to finish. After testing Bonfim's defense in boxing, he took the fight to the ground with disconcerting ease. The Brazilian, despite being a jiu-jitsu black belt, never found the key to escape the trap. The D'Arce choke came as a logical conclusion: Sola slipped his arm under Bonfim's neck, locked in the hold, and the fight stopped dead.
The performance places Sola (12 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw in his career, 2-1 in the UFC) back in the conversation of French lightweights to watch. At 27, he possesses a grappling arsenal that can cause problems for any member of the top 15. Lightweight is the most stacked division in the UFC. To emerge, you need more than high-level grappling: you need the ability to string together performances of this caliber without a break. Sola has just checked the first box. The path to ranking goes through clean victories with no room for debate.
Ankalaev settles the Guskov affair in the main event
The main fight of the evening saw Magomed Ankalaev stop Bogdan Guskov in a clash of Russian light-heavyweights. The former champion of the division, aiming for a return to the belt, applied constant pressure before finding the decisive opening. The finish places Ankalaev back on the short list of title contenders, now owned by Khalil Rountree Jr.
Initially, Ankalaev was supposed to face Rountree himself, but the champion withdrew less than two weeks before the deadline. Guskov, accepting the fight on short notice, did not disappoint but eventually succumbed to an Ankalaev determined to erase the memory of losing his belt. The light-heavyweight division is going through a transition period. With Rountree's withdrawal, the door opened slightly for Ankalaev, who did not flinch. At 33, the Russian has no time to waste if he wants to become champion again.
For Sola, the aftermath has a taste of revenge against fate. Beaten in a memorable FOTN, victorious by submission four months later: the Frenchman has proven he knows how to turn a defeat into fuel. What comes next will likely involve a ranked opponent. The time for tests is over.