PARIS – Manon Fiorot fought through a nasty headbutt to spoil Rose Namajunas’ flyweight debut at UFC Fight Night 226.
Fiorot (11-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) stood and traded with Namajunas (11-6 MMA, 9-5 UFC) over three rounds to take the unanimous decision. The women’s flyweight bout was a co-feature at the Accor Arena and was broadcast live on ESPN+.
Namajunas started the fight offensively with the low kick. Fiorot connected with some solid shots, but made sure he fired from the counter. Namajunas fired for a takedown, but Fiorot easily stopped him. Namajunas had already started marking Fiorot’s lead stage. Namajunas fired for another takedown, but Fiorot again defended well. Fiorot put down a nice combination before the end of the round.
Fiorot scored a big right to start round 2, but Namajunas fired back. Namajunas slipped and Fiorot took advantage by stacking her against the cage to work for a takedown. Namajunas fended off the takedown, but ate a combination out of the break.
Namajunas landed straight to the left, which pushed Fiorot back. Now Fiorot slipped this time and Namajunas swarmed her to take her back but Fiorot broke free. An accidental clash of heads caused a large cut on the side of Fiorot’s head. The pair exchanged blows before the horn sounded.
In round 3, Namajunas fired on a takedown, which was again filled by Fiorot. Namajunas fired again soon after, controlling Fiorot for a brief second, but was unable to stop her. Namajunas pressed and it looked like she landed the bigger shots. The pair exchanged head kicks as Fiorot pushed forward with a combination. Namajunas appeared to trip Fiorot seconds before the fight ended, finishing the round strong – but it wasn’t enough to give her the win.
Following the win, Fiorot called for the winner of the title fight rematch between champion Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko, which will headline Noche UFC on September 16.
Current results from UFC Fight Night 226 include:
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Manon Fiorot Certainly. Rose Namajunas via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
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Benoit Saint-Denis defeated. Thiago Moises via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:44
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Volkan Uzdemir Certainly. Bogdan Guskov via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:46
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William Gomis defeats. Yanis Ghemmouri via TKO (body kick) – Round 3, 2:20
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Defeats Morgan Charriere. Manolo Zecchini via TKO (body kick) – Round 1, 3:51
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Taylor Lapilus Certainly. Caolan Loughran via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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Scary Loosa Certainly. Rhys McKee via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
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Nora Defeats Cornolle. Joselyne Edwards via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
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Farid Basharat Certainly. Kleydson Rodrigues via submission (arm triangle) – Round 1, 4:15
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Jacqueline Cavalcanti defeats. Zarah Fairn via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-37, 30-27)
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie event hub for UFC Fight Night 226.
The story originally appeared on MMA Junkie
