Manon Fiorot made the mid-year “Newcomers of the Year” list and will look to cement her place on the year-end edition this weekend when she steps in against Mayra Bueno Silva in their re-scheduled clash from UFC 266.
Through two fights in the UFC, France’s Fiorot is 2-0 with a pair of second-round standing TKO stoppages, following up her January debut win over Victoria Leonardo with a July encore opposite Tabitha Ricci.
Now, the Ricci fight came together on short notice and the diminutive Brazilian “Baby Shark” typically fights in the strawweight division, so I understand the “don’t put too much stock in that one” comments… however, the job is to beat whomever they put in front of you and both times she’s ventured into the Octagon this year, “The Beast” has done that in impressive fashion.
A former amateur world champion, the 31-year-old striker has won seven straight since losing her professional debut to Leah McCourt in a 138-pound catchweight engagement, earning finishes in six of those seven contests, including each of the last five.
This weekend, Fiorot squares off with Silva in a tough assignment that should illuminate where she stands in the division at the moment.
Highlight: Fiorot KOs Tabitha Ricci
The 30-year-old Brazilian is 7-1-1 overall and 2-1-1 in the UFC, having battled Montana De La Rosa to a draw last time out while holding wins over Mara Romero Borella and Gillian Robertson, and a loss to Maryna Moroz. This assignment is the toughest to date for Fiorot in the UFC and puts her in the Octagon across from a highly skilled, dangerous opponent who will look to test her takedown defense and abilities on the ground.
So far, Fiorot is an intriguing figure in the flyweight division, but if she delivers anything similar to her first two performances this weekend, she could find herself with a number next to her name and a lot of people talking about her as a potential dark horse contender in the division heading into next year.