Closing in on her first UFC title opportunity, Manon Fiorot is already eyeing two-division glory.
On Saturday, March 30, ‘The Beast’ will headline UFC Atlantic City opposite fellow flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield in a fight that has title eliminator written all over it. Thus far, Fiorot is undefeated inside the Octagon, scoring six straight wins, including a dominant decision victory over two-time strawweight queen ‘Thug’ Rose Namajunas.
Erin Blanchfield also enters the headliner with a 6-0 record under the UFC banner, with impressive showings against Molly McCann, Jessica Andrade, and Taila Santos in her last three outings.
#UFCAtlanticCity finally gets its official Main Event with a pivotal flyweight matchup between top contenders Erin Blanchfield (@blanchfield_mma) and Manon Fiorot (@ManonFiorot_MMA)
Winner is all but guaranteed to be next for the title! pic.twitter.com/0xZfEk0ZTT
— Combat Sports UK (@CombatSportsUK) February 16, 2024
Speaking with Mike Owens in a MiddleEasy exclusive interview, Manon Fiorot made it clear that when it comes to her next opponent, she is far from impressed with what she’s seen thus far.
“She’s tough. She had good grappling,” Fiorot said through a translator. “I think her wrestling is good. Not as good as her grappling, but good. I think in the [Taila] Santos fight, she showed that she needs more experience. I am tougher than her and I have shown more skills. I’ll be happy to show how I can win this fight.”
She added, “I say she’s an easy fight because again, she’s tough with grappling, but I’m not sure that she’s better than me in grappling, to be honest. I have more power. I have wrestling skills and better standup.”
With a win over Blanchfield, Fiorot believes that she will be next in line for a shot at the reigning flyweight titleholder, Alexa Grasso.
“With a win, my next fight is a title fight,” Fiorot said with confidence. “I’ll clean out all of the division after this fight so for sure I fight for the belt after.”
Grasso’s next fight is slated to take place on Mexican Independence Day in September when the UFC makes its highly anticipated debut inside The Sphere in Las Vegas. Asked about potentially competing inside Sin City’s uniquely shaped venue, Fiorot said:
“I think about that and I for sure want to [fight in The Sphere],” Fiorot added.
Though she has only fought twice in the last 16 months, Manon Fiorot has every intention of being an active champion should she one-day claim flyweight gold. In addition to regularly defending the title, Fiorot has aspirations of claiming a second UFC title, following in the footsteps of recently retired women’s MMA GOAT Amanda Nunes.
“An active champ, she replied when asked what kind of champion she would like to be. “No defeats and take the belt in the [bantamweight] division after.”
Manon Fiorot Hopes to Be a Part of the UFC’s First Event in Spain
UFC 298 saw the rise of a new featherweight world champion when Ilia Topuria shocked the world, scoring a brutal second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski in the evening’s headliner. Following the victory, UFC CEO Dana White revealed that the promotion will be heading to Spain — the country Topuria calls home.
With Spain being a hop, skip, and jump from her native France, Manon Fiorot would love the opportunity to compete on a UFC Spain card. Particularly if it involves a title fight.
“Yeah, I saw it and I talked bout that with my management, so yeah,” Fiorot confirmed. “I really want to fight in Spain since it’s close to France. I really want to fight for the belt in Spain. It would be awesome.”
Watch the full exclusive interview below:
