Manon Fiorot thinks that she only needs one more victory to get a crack at the championship, and she wants that victory to come against Alexa Grasso.
In a fight that went the distance, Fiorot defeated Katelyn Chookagian, who had previously been challenged for the flyweight belt and won by unanimous decision at UFC 280. This win was the most significant of Fiorot’s career.
As The Main Event of The Year’s Biggest Pay-Per-View
As the main card opener of the most significant pay-per-view event of the year, it was the first major moment of Fiorot’s career, and she considers the experience to have been valuable as she climbs the flyweight ranks.
In an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Fiorot said, “For sure a lot of pressure.” “It was my first major card, and it was also on the main card. I was competing against the top contender in the division.
It was just my sixth bout in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Therefore, there is a great deal of pressure. I didn’t have the battle that I was expecting, but the most important thing is that I won, and now I’m prepared for the future. “
But during the fight, she was very frustrating to fight against because she disengaged a lot and she threw a lot, a lot of punches, but her striking wasn’t very effective.
Before the fight, I knew Katelyn was very technical, has good footwork, and had a good fight I.Q., but during the fight, I didn’t find out how good her fight I.Q. was until after the fight.
She would just hurl things and then go on to the next thing. Fights in standup versus Katelyn were unquestionably tough because of the high level of technique and difficulty involved.
From this point on, things are only going to grow worse for Fiorot. After defeating Chookagian, she will almost certainly move up to the top slot in the flyweight rankings, which might lead to a bout for the championship against Valentina Shevchenko, the current holder of the title.
She’d Rather Fight Than Rush It
However, she is not trying to hurry that just yet and would rather fight Alexa Grasso, who is a genuine challenger for the No. 1 spot.
Fiorot said, “Let me tell you, whenever the UFC staff asks about an opponent, I never respond with a negative response.” “Never. Two days before the match, I never turn down the challenge.
I concur, and I believe that [a bout with Alexa Grasso] would be a beneficial decision. Alexa, call us. She brought up the fight, and she said that she was going to call for the winner between Katelyn and me, so I had no choice but to accept. I’d be up for doing this.
I believe that she is a terrific striker and that this bout will be entertaining for both the spectators and the division.
Grasso just achieved a tremendous victory in a huge location, much as Fiorot did. Grasso won a unanimous decision over Viviane Araujo in the main event of UFC Vegas 62 only a week before Fiorot’s triumph.
Fiorot’s victory was the co-main event. Afterwards, Grasso said that she wanted a bit more experience before rushing into a championship battle versus Shevchenko, and Fiorot appears to be on the same page, adding that she wants to be perfectly ready to claim the title whenever the time comes for her to do so.
Fiorot said, “I believe that the fact that there will be five rounds is beneficial for me.” “I was there when Valentina fought Katelyn, and she didn’t strike at her at all; instead, she relied only on her wrestling and judo throws to win the match.
Finishing Line
Therefore, I believe that I will be able to have a very good standup battle against her, and I also believe that I have the wrestling defense and offensive that will allow me to progress and demonstrate that I can win against Valentina.
“Right now, I have a strong suspicion that Valentina has more experience than I have. I am aware that I only have five more bouts scheduled for the main event in the UFC.
I believe that one more fight would be beneficial to both my career and my thinking about my overall combat intelligence.
Fiorot improved to 10-1 in her MMA career with the victory against Chookagian. She is currently unbeaten since suffering a loss in her professional debut and has a perfect 5-0 record within the UFC.
