UFC Paris: Manon Fiorot spoils Rose Namajunas flyweight debut
By Adam Stocker
Manon Fiorot defeated Rose Namajunas via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28), at UFC Paris on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, live from the Accor Arena in Paris, France.
"The crowd was incredible thank you. Thank you for taking the fight Rose. She is a former champion. I want a championship fight next. I deserve a shot at the championship," said Fiorot through the help of a French translator.
The crowd chanted Fiorot as the first round got underway. The two women moved around the center of the Octagon and traded punches and kicks. Fiorot landed a big right hook that left a red mark on Namajunas' forehead. Namajunas did find some success with her kicks and punches, however, she appeared to hurt her pinky. The two women continued to trade strikes at a high rate. Namajunas appeared to land more often but Fiorot appeared to have the more powerful strikes.
Calling for a title shot next!@ManonFiorot_MMA looking for the winner of Grasso vs Shevchenko 2 after that #UFCParis performance pic.twitter.com/GYgdOOfdQn
— UFC (@ufc) September 2, 2023
The two women continued their high output. Namajunas applied the pressure to Fiorot, who elected to work on the outside of the Octagon. Fiorot caught Namajunas, who stumbled and went down briefly. The two women engaged in a clinch, with Fiorot landing a powerful knee to the body. Fiorot went for a side kick but Namajunas blocked it. Fiorot stumbled and lost her balance. The two women engaged in a clinch briefly before moving back to the middle. The fight was stopped momentarily after an accidental clash of heads opened up a massive cut on the side of Fiorot's head. Immediately, the side of her face was covered in blood. The blood sprayed all over the back of Namajunas.
The corner was able to clean up some of the blood on Fiorot's face however, they could not stop the bleeding. The two women continued their high output attack. Namajunas was very aggressive to start the second round. The two women traded head kicks and Fiorot exploded with a combination of punches. Namajunas landed a left hand that dropped Fiorot. However, it appeared that Fiorot slipped on the canvas.
Battle scars for Manon Fiorot 🫣 #UFCParis pic.twitter.com/wKAUOqzrbE
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 2, 2023
Fiorot entered the Octagon as the third ranked women's flyweight in the UFC. Fiorot won her first five fights in the UFC and had won 10 straight fights since losing her professional career to Leah McCourt.
Namajunas decided to move up to flyweight after spending her entire career at strawweight. The former two time UFC champion is still ranked second in the strawweight division and could have argued for a third title fight against current champion Zhang Weili, who she holds two victories over. Instead, Namajunas will chase a championship in a second division.
Next. How much do MMA fighters make?. dark