At the Accor Arena in Bercy
Manon Fiorot, a fighter from Nice coached by Aldric Cassata (Boxing squad team) is renowned for her power and her kicks from karate. The French was facing a legend of women’s MMA, Rose Namajunas. This fight, a sort of semi-final, was the most important that had yet taken place on French soil.
In the first round, Manon touches more often and more powerfully than Rose, but the back arms sent to the bottom by her opponent remain dangerous. Faithful to the excellence of tricolor foot-fist boxing, Manon led the debates by touching without being touched. Rose had a scarred face at the start of the second round. Manon took advantage of a slip from Rose to do some “cage-control”. Rose couldn’t come up with a play and attempted messy attacks that were hard to counter. Only her low-kick work hurt the Frenchwoman. Namajunas gave an involuntary head butt to Manon whose blond hair was tinged with blood. The referee offered her a stoppage: she refused. In the third round Manon seemed like too high a mountain for Rose. The stream of blood flowing over Manon’s braids was getting faster, but she kept her cool in the face of the former champion. Clear and attacking victory for the belt.
The logical next step for Manon is a fight for the UFC flyweight belt. In case of victory, the first Frenchman to win an undisputed belt will be a Frenchwoman.
