Manon Fiorot (11-1) recorded her eleventh straight win in her professional MMA career with a victory over former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas (12-6). In the main card of the UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Spivac in Paris, the Frenchwoman won by unanimous decision after three rounds of hard fighting.
After the bout, Manon Fiorot demanded a title fight against the winner of the Alexa Grasso vs Valentina Shevchenko rematch, which will be held on September 17.
The beginning of the fight between Manon Fiorot and Rose Namajunas was equal. The two fighters traded blows in the stance, but without scoring 100% behind their combinations. They showed excellent speed and movement around the cage. Rose Namajunas tried for a takedown with two minutes to play but failed. Manon Fiorot’s reverse guard was making it difficult for the former strawweight champion. The French reached the goal more easily and more often, while Rose Namajunas was not as accurate and dominant in stance as her fans are used to seeing.
Manon Fiorot started the second round more aggressively and pressed her opponent against the cage. She landed hard shots in the clinch and red-faced Rose Namajunas, but was unable to land any hard hits. The American came back into the fight with a strong left hand and a clinch to the cage, but Manon Fiorot defended skillfully and returned to the center of the octagon. A heavy arcade opened up on the top of the Frenchwoman’s forehead after a head-to-head collision.
The third round was decisive for the outcome of this fight. Manon Fiorot’s cutman put in a lot of work to take care of the arcade, but the blood was still running down the face of the fighter. Rose Namajunas again tried for a takedown, but again to no avail. The taekwondo black belt was more assertive in her attacks this round and pressed her opponent for most of the round, but it wasn’t enough to earn her success in her flyweight debut.
The defeat was the second in a row for Rose Namajunas. At UFC 274, she lost by unanimous decision to Carla Esparza. For Manon Fiorot, the success was the sixth in a row in the UFC.
