Coming out of her championship fight at UFC 315 in Montreal, Manon Fiorot recognized the need to make some adjustments to how she was approaching things. It’s not that her performance against Valentina Shevchenko was bad — she entered the championship rounds up 29-28 on two scorecards and pushed the two-time titleholder through to the final horn — but the standout from Nice came up short in her quest to claim UFC gold and believed there was more that could be unlocked.
Part of that unlocking came in working with mental coach Pauline Leroux on visualization, attitude and mindset, something that started when she broke into the flyweight title picture but increased after her fight with Shevchenko. Doubling down on her time with Leroux wasn’t the only change for the top-ranked contender either. Fiorot and her team decided to make Tristar Gym a home-away-from-home, tapping into the all-star cast of coaches and fighters to put the finishing touches on each camp since that championship loss.
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And it all seemed to pay off.
Fiorot’s next fight came against Jasmine Jasudavicius in October 2025, and she only needed 74 seconds to dispense with all of the pressure built up beforehand. After an cagey start to the contest, Fiorot put a straight left on the Canadian’s jaw that scrambled her circuitry, giving the French contender the opportunity to swarm and pound out the finish.
“To be honest, when I think about it, I didn’t think (about winning) so early in the fight, so it was really perfect,” Fiorot said. “After that, I understand my truth, and all is perfect.”
Not only did the statement win over Jasudavicius steady Fiorot in the ever-shifting flyweight hierarchy, but it left her with only a handful of names that made sense as future opponents.
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On her way to challenging for the title, the 36-year-old logged wins over former title challengers Jennifer Maia and Katlyn Cerminara before out-duelling Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield. With Natalia Silva having cemented her standing as the top contender with a win over Namajunas at UFC 324, that left former champ Alexa Grasso as the most logical option after Grasso’s emphatic stoppage win over Maycee Barber in March.
Now, the two are set for a high-stakes duel in the desert at Noche UFC on September 12.
“(In order to make another run at the title again), I have to fight and win against girls in the top-5 I didn’t fight in the past,” Fiorot said. “I think I did a great performance against Jasmine, I think (Grasso) did a great performance against Maycee, so definitely, it was the fight to make, and the winner can go straight for the belt after that.”
When the matchup was booked, it definitely carried title implications, but with each having fairly recent losses to Shevchenko, it wasn’t a clear-cut No. 1 contender fight. However, it took on greater significance last weekend when it was announced that an injury was forcing Shevchenko to relinquish her title and that Silva and China’s Wang Cong would battle for the vacant title in the main event of UFC 332 early next month in Salt Lake City.
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“When I took this fight against Alexa, I’m not sure that (it is) the last fight between me and the title because we know Valentina — she doesn’t fight very often; perhaps one time a year,” Fiorot said. “So, I really don’t think about that when I asked for Alexa… After last week, I understand that clearly there is a way to go straight for the title after that. But step-by-step: first Alexa, then we will see.”
Even before the shakeup atop the division, this weekend’s matchup with Grasso was a must-see contest, especially given how impressive the former champion looked when taking out Barber. Back at full health and firing on all cylinders, Grasso looked like the elite talent that first dethroned Shevchenko and someone capable of doing so again if given the opportunity, making this one of the top non-title fights the promotion could roll out at this moment.
Putting it against the backdrop of Noche UFC increases the stakes a little more, at least for Fiorot.
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“To be honest, I love it,” Fiorot said with a laugh when asked about facing Grasso on the annual event celebrating Mexican Independence Day. “I think I’m better when I go to enemy territory. It’s definitely what I prefer.”
With the stakes higher than originally anticipated and the setting the right amount of hostile for her liking, Fiorot is ready to make the walk on Saturday and make her case to challenge whomever emerges from next month’s battle as the new champion.
And while she knows another highlight reel effort would likely make her undeniable and is what she’ll be seeking, “The Beast” believes that simply turning back the former champion should be enough to secure her a second chance to fight for championship gold.
“I know the best option is to win and finish this fight, but I think a win is clearly (the most important thing in) this fight,” she said. “If I can finish this fight, I will do it.”
Noche UFC: Silva vs Delgado took place live from Desert Diamond Arena In Glendale, Arizona on September 12, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
