Athletes
Manon Fiorot Sees Everything Coming Together
Manon Fiorot Is Hopeful She Can Dethrone Valentina Shevchenko And Finally Secure France’s First Undisputed UFC Title
Manon Fiorot’s ascent to title contention has felt at once quick—it took the Frenchwoman just seven trips to the Octagon to earn the shot—and yet delayed. Three wins in nine months placed “The Beast” seemingly put Fiorot on the inside track toward a shot at the endlessly dominant Valentina Shevchenko, but injuries and some odd luck kept Fiorot to just four fights in the next four years. That schedule, in tandem with the trilogy between Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso, kept Fiorot out of a title fight a little longer than some predicted, but all that matters to the 35-year-old is that the shot finally arrives when she takes on Shevchenko at UFC 315: Muhammad vs Della Maddalena with gold on the line.
“It's really the perfect moment,” Fiorot told UFC.com “In the end, everything went as it should.”
How To Watch And Stream UFC 315: Muhammad vs Della Maddalena
Part of that “perfect moment” is the fact that Shevchenko is once again the reigning champion.
When Fiorot first established herself in the rankings, it seemed like she was tailor-made to push Shevchenko if she could get to a title shot. “Bullet” appeared to have cleaned out the division after seven consecutive defenses with nary a moment of adversity other than her split decision bout with Taila Santos. Nonetheless, Fiorot was on the precipice of a shot following wins over Jennifer Maia and Katlyn Cerminara in 2022, but a slick back-take and submission from Grasso at UFC 285 altered that timeline drastically.
MORE UFC 315: Fight By Fight Preview | Significant Stats | Fighters On The Rise
For the next 18 months, Grasso and Shevchenko would share a championship trilogy. Meanwhile, Fiorot racked up wins over Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield to cement herself as the clear-cut No. 1 contender. While she would’ve eagerly accepted a fight against whomever held the belt, Shevchenko regaining the belt certainly carries some weight in Fiorot’s eyes.
“I'm happy because she's the one who already had the belt when I arrived in the UFC,” she said. “It's really her that I was aiming for from the beginning. I was quite disappointed at first when she lost to Alexa because I really wanted to face Valentina precisely because she's a legend of the sport. So, for me, it's really an honor to fight against her.”
UFC Fight Island 8: Manon Fiorot TKOs Leonardo In Her Debut
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UFC Fight Island 8: Manon Fiorot TKOs Leonardo In Her Debut
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While she waited for Shevchenko and Grasso to finish their business, Fiorot traveled to Las Vegas for the final bout and served as the backup at UFC 306.
Although she wasn’t ultimately needed, she was able to witness the bout with her own eyes and walked away from the bout unimpressed.
MORE FIOROT: Fiorot's Journey To The Title Shot | Coach Conversation: Shevchenko vs Fiorot
“I didn't find the fight very spectacular,” Fiorot said. “There wasn't a lot of rhythm and that blocked the fight a bit. It seems like (Shevchenko) just wanted to win this fight, but there was nothing spectacular.”
The backup assignment also allowed Fiorot to kind of break up the monotony of training and waiting for the fight to happen. She admitted waiting was “a bit difficult” at first, but readying herself for the September 2024 bout allowed her to go through a quality and focused training camp.
The wait, nonetheless, is over. Fiorot finally gets her chance to dethrone Shevchenko like she wanted when she made her stellar debut on UFC Fight Island back in January 2021. Do that, and she’ll become France’s first undisputed champion, and bringing the belt back to her hometown of Nice is a dream she is on the doorstep of achieving.
“It will be a huge source of pride since I will be the first French title winner,” she said. “I can't wait to come home with this belt.”
UFC 315: Muhammad vs Della Maddalena, live from Bell Centre in Montréal, Québec, Canada on May 10, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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