Athletes
Manon Fiorot Expects A ‘Powerful’ Performance In Paris
French Flyweight Contender Manon Fiorot Is Eager To Deliver A Spectacular, Statement-Making Victory Against A Former Champion At UFC Fight Night: Gane vs Spivac
Manon Fiorot sat in the crowd at UFC Fight Night: Gane vs Tuivasa, drinking in the atmosphere of UFC’s first fight night in France knowing her time would come. Originally booked to fight Katlyn Chookagian in Paris, injuries set that fight back to UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi. After “The Beast” added another victory to her tally despite injuring her knee in the first round, she knew UFC’s return to Paris in 2023 was the perfect return.
“It has been a month of visualization of this moment with the music that will play during the walk,” Fiorot told UFC.com. “I'm excited for that moment. I think it will be powerful.”
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The bout is Fiorot’s first mixed martial arts contest in her home country, but when she reflected on her past kickboxing performances at home, she believes she’ll shine on September 2.
The timing also works out because of the state of the women’s flyweight division at present. The fight sits perfectly between Erin Blanchfield’s decision win over Taila Santos and before the rematch between champion Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko on September 16.
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“A lot of new fighters came to this division, so it's pretty interesting that the division is moving a lot and evolving; there are a lot of challenges to come,” Fiorot said. “That's exciting. I’ll wait for the (title fight) to know who will be my opponent for the belt.”
UFC Paris Fight By Fight Preview
While her eyes are on the title fight, she also knows she has a unique challenge in divisional debutant and two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas.
Namajunas hasn’t competed since losing her belt to Carla Esparza at UFC 274 in May 2022 in an underwhelming performance. However, “Thug Rose” brings with her a championship pedigree as well as name-value hard to come by at 125 pounds.
“She's a great fighter, and not only that, she is a great opponent for the fight,” Fiorot said. “She's also a person who is pretty famous, and it was important for me to fight someone like that in the UFC world.”
“The Beast” believes the only thing Namajunas brings to the table that she hasn’t yet seen is that experience that comes with winning a world title twice over. However, as far as the way their styles match up, Fiorot doesn’t see anything unique.
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She is also of the conviction that she’ll have a big advantage in terms of size and strength, especially because Fiorot feels completely healthy after struggling with knee injuries over the last couple years.
Manon Fiorot 2nd Round Finish | UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Sakai
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Manon Fiorot 2nd Round Finish | UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Sakai
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That confidence isn’t just posturing, either. Since joining the roster in January 2021, Fiorot has proven her all-around quality in five appearances. Her last three wins have been her most impressive, taking out Mayra Bueno Silva, Jennifer Maia and Chookagian via unanimous decision.
Her win over Chookagian, despite an injured knee, bolstered her confidence to perform, even when faced with some adversity against a top-tier opponent. Against Namajunas, she expects to have her best performance yet with a clean bill of health and in front of friends and family. She is well-aware of the high stakes, and on the biggest stage of her career, she expects to give the French crowd plenty to cheer about.
“It's the first time I will fight against someone who has been a champ, so this is the big challenge,” Fiorot said. “But there is no specific thing in the field of the fighting that hasn't been seen before.”
UFC Fight Night: Gane vs Spivac took place live from the Accor Arena in Paris, France on September 2, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
