Five months after her defeat for the flyweight belt, Manon Fiorot from Nice returned to victory in Vancouver. She defeated Canadian Jasmine Jasudavicius by technical knockout in the first round, marking a striking comeback and a fresh start since moving to Montreal, where she settled to train.
Manon Fiorot had left Nice for Montreal, wanting to change her training environment and methods. After her defeat against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 315, the 35-year-old fighter decided to overhaul her preparation. “It was the first time I left my city to train elsewhere and work with Firas Zahabi and Rob on my striking”, she explained to MMA Junkie before her fight. In Montreal, she joined Tristar Gym, a renowned facility where Georges St-Pierre trained.
Far from her hometown, Manon Fiorot sought to improve without changing everything. “It’s not a major change, just adjustments”, she clarified. “Small movements in my skills, in my striking and in my wrestling. If I had to sum it up in one word, it would be: adjustment.” These adjustments aimed to make her more complete, calmer and more efficient in ground transitions.
She also took time to rebuild herself. After the disappointment of May, she refused to return to competition too soon. “I needed more time to refocus on myself. It’s really the right moment for me to fight now”, she affirmed. This choice proved worthwhile.
A winning and controlled comeback
Saturday night in Vancouver, Manon Fiorot rediscovered the taste of victory. Against Canadian Jasmine Jasudavicius, she left no room for doubt. After a few seconds of observation, the fighter from Nice landed a left jab, followed by a knee strike. She then took her opponent to the ground and continued striking until the referee stopped the fight after 1 minute and 14 seconds. A quick, clean finish, bringing her record to 13 wins and two losses.
This victory had a special taste. “It was so complicated after my last fight, I fell into a small depression, it was really tough”, Manon Fiorot confessed after her victory. She acknowledges having changed her approach. “I changed the way I fight, the way I train. (…) But most importantly, what changed the most is that I enjoyed myself throughout this entire training camp, so naturally I feel amazing.”
Jasmine Jasudavicius, beaten on her home turf, protested the referee’s early stoppage. She believed she could continue despite the strikes. Manon Fiorot had anticipated how the fight would unfold. She worked on her English boxing to destabilize her opponent from the first round.
This victory marks a turning point. After long pursuing the belt, the fighter from Nice is now putting her ambitions in perspective. “For a while I was training just to win, for that feeling you get after victory. But I didn’t enjoy the whole process before. When we got toward the end of training camp, I was relieved because it was over”, she explained before her fight. Today, she speaks of rediscovered pleasure.
“The Beast”, second in the UFC world rankings in her category, remains a serious contender for the title. But the belt is no longer her only horizon. “It’s no longer an obsession”, she acknowledges. Champion Valentina Shevchenko is set to face Chinese fighter Zhang Weili next, an anticipated clash between two UFC queens. Manon Fiorot, meanwhile, continues her journey, without pressure, with the will to endure.
In Nice, where her career began, her journey is closely followed. Trained in the city’s clubs before rising to the world stage, Manon Fiorot today embodies a rare success in French women’s MMA. Her victorious return in Vancouver confirms she has managed to bounce back without renouncing her roots or her attachment to her city.
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