Former flyweight title challenger Manon Fiorot made an announcement at UFC Vancouver on Saturday evening, stopping house favourite Jasmine Jasudavicius by way of first-round TKO at Rogers Enviornment. The end got here at 1:14 of the opening spherical, silencing the Canadian crowd and marking a decisive return for the French fighter.
Manon Fiorot Finishes Jasmine Jasudavicius
Fiorot entered the bout looking to bounce back from her first UFC loss, a unanimous choice defeat to champion Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 315 in Might. That setback ended her seven-fight UFC profitable streak, which included victories over Rose Namajunas, Erin Blanchfield, and Mayra Bueno Silva. Jasudavicius, ranked fifth within the division, carried a five-fight profitable streak into the competition, along with her most up-to-date win coming by way of rear-naked choke submission over former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade.
The fight ended quickly. Fiorot established her range immediately with a sharp jab, controlling distance and preventing Jasudavicius from closing the gap. Midway through the first round, Fiorot landed a clean left hand that rocked the Canadian fighter badly. The former title challenger immediately swarmed with ground strikes, forcing referee Dan Miragliotta to step in and stop the bout.
Jasudavicius protested the stoppage because it occurred, questioning the referee’s choice. Nevertheless, replays confirmed that Fiorot had landed a barrage of unanswered strikes on the bottom, with Jasudavicius absorbing important punishment whereas her face touched the mat. Whereas some followers debated whether or not the stoppage got here too early, the footage confirmed Fiorot touchdown a number of clear photographs as Jasudavicius struggled to defend herself successfully.
The victory marked the first time Jasudavicius had been finished in her professional career. The 36-year-old Canadian entered the bout with a 14-3 record and had established herself as a well-rounded grappler with strong wrestling and submission skills, having earned three Performance of the Night bonuses in the UFC.
For Fiorot, the win was the result of significant changes to her training approach. The 35-year-old spent this camp working at Montreal’s TriStar Gym under the guidance of renowned coach Firas Zahabi, marking the primary time she had left her hometown to coach elsewhere. Talking on the UFC Vancouver media day, Fiorot described the changes she had made. “It was the primary time I depart my hometown to coach outdoors,” she defined by way of an interpreter. “I made new abilities and also you’ll see Saturday a brand new Manon with a brand new sport plan and new stuff”.
When asked to elaborate, Fiorot emphasized that the changes were not drastic. “It’s not about big change, just adjustment,” she said. “Little move on my skills, on my striking game and my wrestling game. If I had to say one word, just ‘adjustment’”.
In her post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier, Fiorot addressed her mindset following the title loss. “I used to be slightly depressed. It was a nasty time. It was a tough time for me, however fortunately I acquired along with my group and we’re capable of get better and get again in right here and are available again with an enormous win,” she acknowledged. The efficiency demonstrated the effectiveness of her work at TriStar, as she was capable of land the straight left hand that arrange the end.
The timing of Fiorot’s return was deliberate. She had handed on competing at UFC Paris in September, explaining that it will have been too quickly after her defeat. “I didn’t have a lot opposition for Paris, however to be trustworthy, it was too shut and too early after my defeat. I wanted extra time to refocus on me. It’s actually good for me to combat now,” she instructed reporters.
Regarding her future plans, Fiorot remained focused on taking any opportunity the UFC presents. “To be honest, I don’t care. I just want to fight as soon as possible. And whatever UFC choose for me, I take the fight,” she said during the post-fight press conference. The division’s title picture will clarify next month when Shevchenko defends the flyweight belt against former strawweight champion Weili Zhang at UFC 322 on November 15 in New York.
Fiorot acknowledged having a preference for that title bout. “If I had to choose I’d prefer Valentina win this fight, but I’m really focused on me, and we will see,” she stated. Zhang is vacating the strawweight title to move up and challenge for the flyweight belt, entering the bout on a six-fight winning streak.
With the victory, Fiorot improved to 13-2 overall and 8-1 in the UFC. The quick finish put her back in the title conversation in a competitive flyweight division. Her striking statistics remain impressive, as she lands 5.58 significant strikes per minute with 66% striking defense while absorbing only 3.59 strikes per minute. Her takedown defense stands at 87%, making her difficult to control on the ground.
For Jasudavicius, the loss ended her impressive run and dropped her record to 14-4 overall. The St. Catharines, Ontario native had been looking to secure a title shot with a victory over the second-ranked contender, but the early finish derailed those plans in front of the home crowd.
The UFC Vancouver main card also featured controversy earlier within the night when referee Miragliotta appeared to make an error within the light-weight bout between Kyle Nelson and Matt Frevola, including to the dialogue round officiating all through the evening.
