Legalized in France only four years ago, the discipline is experiencing a meteoric rise. Some 16,000 fans belched, shouted, shouted and whistled at the fighters, who had become modern-day gladiators adored by the crowd.
Having become an idol in France, the former special forces operator is overwhelmed by media demands, and can no longer move around without being stopped for a photo. “It will soon be the second sport in France”: how MMA has become a real social phenomenon.