Youssef Boughanem escapes a barrage of blows, then submits Mohamed Soumah in wild MMA fight

Mohamed Soumah set the pace from the outset at the Zénith de Strasbourg on Saturday, October 31. The Frenchman hit hard and sent Youssef Boughanem to the canvas several times. Barely back on his feet, the Belgian-Moroccan had to retreat under the blows. He even began running across the cage to get away from Soumah, who caught up with him and took him down again, reports Le Parisien.

Yet the fight turned on the ground. Boughanem managed to grab his opponent, take him down and get behind him. He locked in a rear-naked choke, forcing Soumah to tap before the end of the first round. Just moments earlier, the Frenchman had seemed on the verge of winning by knockout.

For 36-year-old Boughanem, the event marked his debut with the ARES organization. A former muay-thai champion, the Brussels-born fighter of Moroccan origin has embarked on a second career in MMA, where he had won his first five fights.

His opponent criticizes the referee

Mohamed Soumah is struggling to accept how the fight unfolded. After the bout, he accused the referee of not stopping it while he was in control. “The fight should have been stopped earlier,” he said, claiming he had landed heavy blows on Boughanem, according to Boxemag.

The Frenchman said he saw his opponent stagger and believed his health was at risk. He also acknowledged Boughanem’s fighting spirit, while expressing his pain over the defeat. The referee let the fight continue, and the official result remains a submission victory for Boughanem.

Boughanem thus remains unbeaten in MMA, with six wins in six fights. Soumah now has four wins and four losses.