UFC Fight Night 226: Manon Fiorot vs Rose Namajunas 09/02/2023 Preview, Odds and Picks

UFC Fight Night 226: Fiorot vs Namajunas 09/02/2023 – Manon Fiorot faces her toughest test ever in the UFC as she clashes with former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 226 on Saturday, September 2, at the Accor Arena in Paris, France. ESPN+ will broadcast the fight on television for US-based viewers while TNT Sports will cover the proceedings for UK audiences. On the other hand, UFC Fight Pass will feature the fight on livestream. Fiorot stakes her 10-fight winning streak against Namajunas, who will make her first appearance in the 125-pound division.

It will be the first time that Fiorot fights in her home country while Namajunas will make her initial foray in the flyweight division after more than 10 years of campaigning in the strawweight category. The clash is expected to reel in online sports betting interest as Namajunas and Fiorot are capable of putting up an exciting, three-round battle that could be talked about for a long time.

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Main Card

Manon Fiorot

After losing her MMA fight, Fiorot (10-1, 5-0 UFC) won her next 10 fights, including five in the UFC. Her victories against Victoria Leonardo, Tabatha Ricci, Mayra Bueno Silva, Jennifer Maia, and Katlyn Chookagian have propelled her to No. 3 in the 125-pound category. Against Chookagian, Fiorot gained the nod of the three judges, who all scored 29-28, to win their catchweight clash. The Nice native looks to stretch her winning streak and improve her chances of securing a title fight soon. She’ll enter the fight with a two-inch height advantage, potentially causing trouble for the shorter Namajunas.

In terms of statistics, Fiorot has recorded six finishes, all by knockout. She has been proficient in the striking game, successfully landing 52% of her significant strike attempts at a rate of 5.33 strikes per minute. The Frenchwoman was able to defend 51% of the strikes attempted against her and has absorbed 3.48 strikes per minute. Fiorot is not known for her grappling as she has averaged 0.33 takedowns per 15 minutes at a 15% accuracy rate. Her takedown defense rate is 64% and her submission rate is 0.17 per 15 minutes.

Rose Namajunas

Namajunas (11-5, 9-4 UFC) makes her first appearance in over 15 months as she looks to bounce back from the split decision loss at the hands of Carla Esparza that cost her the UFC strawweight title. The match against Fiorot marks the first time she will fight in a higher weight class. Expect Namajunas to get her feet wet in the early stages of the encounter but once she gets accustomed to the weight class, look for the “Thug” to find ways to pick up the victory and kick off her new journey in the flyweight class.

Namajunas has recorded seven finishes (2 knockouts, 5 submissions) in her career as she has been able to build a career by beating the best and brightest in the 115-pound class. She will bring into the flyweight class an above average rate of 3.66 significant strikes per minute and a 40% significant strike accuracy rate. Namajunas has been able to fend off 60% of the significant strike attempts against her and absorbed 3.5 significant strikes per minute. In terms of grappling, the Milwaukee-born fighter has averaged 1.61 takedowns per 15 minutes and her accuracy rate is a “steady” 57%. She has successfully stopped 60% of the takedown attempts against her and has averaged 0.59 submissions per 15 minutes.