Hexagone MMA 48: Paul Dena faces Bilal Labid at the Zénith

Paul Dena will face Bilal Labid on Saturday 24 October at the Zénith Paris La Villette, at Hexagone MMA 48. The bantamweight (-61 kg) bout is the co-main event, according to specialist site Combats MMA. Until now, the promotion and the venue had announced Dena's return without naming an opponent. Labid, who is French-Moroccan, has a professional record of three wins and one loss.

Dena back nine months on

Paul Dena, billed by the promotion as the "little prince" of French MMA, has not fought since 9 January. That night, also at the Zénith, he stopped Paulo Santos in the second round with a right hook, headlining Hexagone MMA 37. Combats MMA expects his fight to start at around 10 to 10:30 pm Paris time.

A vacant belt in the main event

The main event pits Samba Sima against Léopold Goi for the promotion's vacant flyweight (-57 kg) title, over five five-minute rounds. It is Sima's first title fight. The card also features Turpal Younousov's Hexagone MMA debut against Mikail Bayram and the promotional debut of Pierre Manzo, according to Sortir à Paris.

The event was originally set for 18 September and moved to 24 October. Tickets bought for the original date remain valid. Seats on Fever start at 49 euros.

Times and broadcast

The first fight is scheduled for 7 pm Paris time (6 pm UK). The main card starts at around 9 pm and the flyweight title fight is expected around 11 pm. These times are estimates and depend on how long the fights last.

In France, the main card is shown live on subscription channel RMC Sport. Outside France, Hexagone MMA streams on DAZN. The same night, UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi features two title fights, with its main card starting at 8 pm Paris time.