Farès Ziam (born March 21, 1997) is a French professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer who competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Born into a Franco-Algerian family in 1997, he was a fan of mixed martial arts and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Starting at 14, he did judo, BJJ and kickboxing for three years, he then joined the Ezbiri team in Villeurbanne to do MMA professionally.
[3][4] On June 13, 2015, Ziam defeated Tom Pedereno by technical knockout at Sanda Pro Fight Tour #1.
[5] On October 13, 2015, Ziam faced Yazid Boussaha for the vacant ISKA K-1 European 72.5kg title.
[8] Starting his professional MMA career in 2014, Ziam compiled a 10–2 record fighting mostly in the regional European scene, winning the HIT and LFC lightweight championships in the process.
[9] Ziam, as a replacement for Magomed Mustafaev, made his promotional debut against Don Madge on September 7, 2019, at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
[26] As the first bout of his new four-fight contract, Ziam faced Matt Frevola on September 28, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 243.