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) for three rounds to earn the unanimous decision win. The women’s flyweight contest served as the co-feature at Accor Arena and aired live on ESPN+.
Namajunas started the fight off attacking with the low kick. Fiorot connected with a few solid shots but made sure to dart out of the counter. Namajunas shot for a takedown, but Fiorot easily stuffed it. Namajunas already started to mark up Fiorot’s lead leg. Namajunas shot for another takedown, but Fiorot defended well again. Fiorot landed a nice combination before the end of the round.
Fiorot landed a big right to kick off Round 2, but Namajunas fired back. Namajunas slipped, and Fiorot capitalized by stacking her against the cage to work for a takedown. Namajunas fended off the takedown, but ate a combination off the break.
Namajunas landed a straight 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 big gash on the side of Fiorot’s head. The pair traded punches before the sound of the horn.
In Round 3, Namajunas shot for a takedown, which was once again stuffed by Fiorot. Namajunas shot again shortly after and got Fiorot down for a brief second, but couldn’t keep her down. Namajunas pressured and she appeared to be landing the bigger shots. The pair traded head kicks as Fiorot pressed forward with a combination. Namajunas appeared to stumble Fiorot seconds before the fight ended, closing out the round strong – but it wasn’t enough to get her the win.
After the win, Fiorot called for the winner of the title-fight rematch between champion Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko, which headlines Noche UFC on Sept. 16.
Up-to-the-minute results of UFC Fight Night 226 include:
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Manon Fiorot def. Rose Namajunas via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
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Benoit Saint-Denis def. Thiago Moises via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:44
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Volkan Oezdemir def. Bogdan Guskov via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:46
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William Gomis def. Yanis Ghemmouri via TKO (body kick) – Round 3, 2:20
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Morgan Charriere def. Manolo Zecchini via TKO (body kick) – Round 1, 3:51
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Taylor Lapilus def. Caolan Loughran via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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Ange Loosa def. Rhys McKee via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
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Nora Cornolle def. Joselyne Edwards via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
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Farid Basharat def. Kleydson Rodrigues via submission (arm triangle) – Round 1, 4:15
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Jacqueline Cavalcanti def. Zarah Fairn via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-37, 30-27)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 226.
Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie