Paris, France — Following UFC Paris on Saturday, Manon Fiorot is arguably in the lead in the race for the next flyweight title shot.
France’s Fiorot (11-1) had to endure a headbutt that left her severely bloodied, but otherwise soundly defeated former strawweight champ “Thug” Rose Namajunas, who had moved up in weight for the fight.
Speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press following UFC Paris, Fiorot was still wiping away the blood trickling down the side of her head with a tissue. But, she said, she was never dazed from the blow. “Honestly, just the blood on my head was a little bit difficult in the second and third round,” Fiorot stated.
That wasn’t the only damage on display following the bout, as Fiorot had her knee bandaged. “My knee is okay. I took one low kick, and it’s a little bit painful, but it’s fine,” said Fiorot.
Throughout the fight, Namajunas pursued takedowns that simply weren’t there. Given the ex-strawweight’s tendency to finish fights on the feet (see: her headkick finish of Weili Zhang), that came as a bit of a surprise. But not for Fiorot it seems. “I know I’m a better striker, so I’m pretty sure she wanted to wrestle me. But it’s impossible to take me down.”
Now, Manon Fiorot is looking for a title shot. The belt will be on the line later this month when Alexa Grasso meets Valentina Shevchenko for the second time. “For sure I want to take this belt and fight the winner,” Fiorot said on that front. Later, however, she told Cageside Press that she would fight fellow contender Erin Blanchfiled if required.
“If UFC wants me to fight Blanchfield, I’ll take the fight. It’s an easy fight for me.”
That fight would almost certainly be a title eliminator, were it to happen next.
Watch the full UFC Paris post-fight press conference with Manon Fiorot above.
