3/21/24: Manon Fiorot Dominates Erin Blanchfield, Calls For Flyweight Title Shot
Also: UFC 302 will take place in Newark, New Jersey
Welcome to a Sunday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today’s issue has a report on UFC and Cage Warriors events from last night, plus a couple of other news stories. Let’s get started!
Manon Fiorot Sweeps Scorecards Against Erin Blanchfield At UFC Atlantic City, Calls For Flyweight Title Shot
Manon Fiorot put together a dominant five-round performance against Erin Blanchfield on Saturday night, earning a perfect 50-45 score from all three judges to win via unanimous decision and position herself as one of the top names at flyweight.
Fiorot’s win headlined UFC’s return to the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA.
The most dominant tool for Fiorot throughout the fight was her striking skills. She utilized her reach advantage on Blanchfield when connecting with straights and jabs to the head.
Blanchfield seemingly had no answer for Fiorot’s boxing. She would often come forward with her own shot but eat a punch from Fiorot while advancing. Blanchfield seemed increasingly aggressive as the fight moved into the fourth and fifth rounds, but still wasn’t able to do enough damage to earn a round on scorecards.
A part of Fiorot’s success was her ability to prevent Blanchfield from taking the fight to the ground. The French contender blocked takedown attempts from Blanchfield in numerous instances, keeping the fight where she wanted it to be.
The bout briefly went to the ground in the opening frame after Fiorot scored a takedown. What could be argued to be Blanchfield’s best moment in the fight came right after, as she tried for a guillotine choke while on her back. She lost grip of the hold once the fight returned to the feet.
Saturday’s main event was billed as a clash between two of the top rising contenders at flyweight. Fiorot is now arguably the third-best 125-pound fighter in the rankings, placing her closer than ever to a title shot.
Fiorot has now put together an undefeated UFC record of seven wins since entering the promotion in 2021. Previous victories included performances over former strawweight champ Rose Namajunas and flyweight title challenger Katlyn Cermianra. She called for a title shot against flyweight champion Alexa Grasso in her post-fight interview.
“I’ve fought everyone in the category,” Fiorot said through an interpreter. “I’m ready. I want the title, that’s it.”
While Fiorot is undoubtedly one of the most qualified contenders at flyweight, she might have to wait a while for a shot at the champ. Grasso is expected to fight in a trilogy bout against former long-time titleholder Valentina Shevchenko later this year after they coach the latest season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
Since the show won’t even begin airing until June, it is expected that the flyweights will only face off as early as the third or fourth quarter of the year.
Saturday marked Blanchfield’s first loss in the UFC. The 24-year-old had a quick rise up the flyweight rankings over the past three years, including a stoppage against Jessica Andrade and a recent win over Taila Santos.
Joaquin Buckley kept his undefeated run at welterweight going in the co-main event, using damaging ground and pound to stop Vicente Luque in the second round. Buckley has now earned a trio of victories since moving down to the 170-pound division and is likely to be ranked after beating 11th-place Luque.
Saturday’s busy prelims proceeded without an expected flyweight bout. It was announced during the show that a medical issue forced Victoria Dudakova out of her fight against Melissa Gatto.
Here are the quick results from Saturday’s UFC card:
Main Card (10:00PM EDT) (ESPN/ESPN+)
Bout 13: Manon Fiorot def. Erin Blanchfield via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 12: Joaquin Buckley def. Vicente Luque via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 3:17)
Bout 11: Chris Weidman def. Bruno Silva via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 2:18)
Bout 10: Nursulton Ruziboev def. Sedriques Dumas via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:18)
Bout 9: Kyle Nelson def. Bill Algeo via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:00)
Bout 8: Chidi Njokuani def. Rhys McKee via Decision, Split
Preliminary Card (7:00PM EDT) (ESPN2/ESPN+)
Bout 7: Nate Landwehr def. Jamall Emmers via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:43)
Bout 6: Virna Jandiroba def. Loopy Godinez via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Julio Arce def. Herbert Burns via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:00)
Bout 4: Dennis Buzukja def. Connor Matthews via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 0:22)
Bout 3: Ibo Aslan def. Anton Turkalj via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 1:32)
Bout 2: Jacob Malkoun def. Andre Petroski via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 0:39)
Bout 1: Caolan Loughran def. Angel Pacheco via Decision, Unanimous
UFC 302 Set For Newark, New Jersey
UFC will head to Newark, New Jersey, USA for a pay-per-view card later this year.
UFC 302 will take place on June 1st at the Prudential Center, as confirmed during Saturday’s card in Atlantic City.
The event will be the promotion’s second consecutive year heading to Newark for a PPV lineup.
Late last year, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) allocated $5 million to fund a UFC event taking place in June.
Newark is one of the many locations that UFC travels to in exchange for a site fee.
Later this year, UFC will head to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for a “Fight Night” card. TKO Group Holdings President Mark Shapiro previously stated that UFC is expected to receive $20 million for the event. He also said they earn roughly $25 million for their annual trip to Abu Dhabi.
A recent POST Wrestling report also revealed that UFC received $3 million dollars in 2022 from Singapore, a location they have visited twice since 2022.
While some undercard matchups have been booked for UFC 302, the main event or any title fights have yet to be reported.
Derrick Lewis vs. Rodrigo Nascimento Announced For UFC St. Louis Main Event
Heavyweights will headline UFC’s return to St. Louis.
Former title challenger Derrick Lewis will take on fellow ranked heavyweight Rodrigo Nascimento in the main event of UFC’s May 11th “Fight Night” card. The event will be UFC’s return to the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, heading to the venue for the first time since 2018.
Lewis will have a chance to bounce back after a rough couple of years at heavyweight. He has lost four of his last five fights in somewhat of a gatekeeper role, facing many rising names in the division. Recent defeats include a decision against Jailton Almeida and a quick finish by Sergei Pavlovich.
His sole win since 2022 was a 33-second finish against Marcos Rogerio de Lima at UFC 291 last year.
Lewis, a veteran of nearly 30 UFC fights, will be making his 12th main event appearance in the promotion. Nascimento, on the other hand, will be experiencing a five-round MMA fight for the first time in his career.
Nascimento has broken into the heavyweight rankings with a trio of victories over the past couple of years. His last win came in late 2023, beating Don’Tale Mayes via unanimous decision.
Jordan Vucenic Keeps Submission Streak Alive, Stops Simone D’Anna In Cage Warriors 169 Main Event
Former Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion Jordan Vucenic earned another big win on Saturday night, scoring a second-round submission against Italian standout Simone D’Anna.
Vucenic caught D’Anna in the second round with a kimura, applying the hold from half guard to force a tap. The outcome headlined Cage Warriors 169 from the Indigo At The O2 in London, England.
Vucenic scored a takedown early in the second round, allowing him to take control of the fight against D’Anna. After a couple of minutes that saw Vucenic landing punches to the head and body of D’Anna, he worked for the submission that caused the fight to conclude.
The opening round of the fight saw Vucenic find success on the feet. Even though D’Anna was able to land his own punches in the competitive round, it seemed like Vucenic had the better blows. A shot from Vucenic caused D’Anna to bleed from the nose in the opening minute of the bout. While he was taken down by D'Anna later in the round, he was able to remain active off his back with punches and a triangle choke attempt.
Vucenic has now earned three consecutive submission wins since his featherweight title reign came to an end in late 2022. He earned a pair of rear naked choke victories last year, defeating Brice Picaud and Tiziano Ferranti.
D’Anna had a three-fight run of wins put to an end this weekend. His run of victories included his Cage Warriors promotional debut, defeating Alberth Dias via decision.
Lone’er Kavanagh prevailed in a clash between two undefeated flyweight prospects in the co-main event, earning a decision win over Shawn Da Silva. Kavanagh now has an impressive record of six wins, with all four of his Cage Warriors appearances coming against undefeated opponents.
Lower on the main card, UFC alum Darren Stewart had his Cage Warriors momentum suddenly stopped by veteran Carlos Pereira, who put him away early in the second round with strikes. Stewart had a four-fight streak of victories before Saturday, including a 2023 win over former Cage Warriors champ Matthew Bonner.
Here are the quick results for Cage Warriors 169:
Main Card (5:00PM EDT / 9:00PM GMT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 14: Jordan Vucenic def. Simone D’Anna via Submission, Kimura (RD 2, 2:53)
Bout 13: Lone’er Kavanagh def. Shawn Da Silva via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 12: Will Currie def. Leon Aliu via TKO, Retirement (RD 1, 5:00)
Bout 11: Carlos Pereira def. Darren Stewart via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 0:28)
Bout 10: Olli Santalahti def. Jamie Richardson via Decision, Unanimous
Preliminary Card (2:00PM EDT / 6:00PM GMT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 9: Thomas Paull def. Dimitry Solimeis via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Jimmy Quinn def. Yohan Salvador via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 2, 0:57)
Bout 7: Mitchell Goode def. Angus Hewett via Submission, Buggy Choke (RD 3, 4:24)
Bout 6: Ermil Xhaferi def. Aaron Johnson via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 2:10)
Bout 5: Amir Malekpour def. Tom Creasey via Decision, Majority
Bout 4: Tommy Brunning def. Cesari Simon Kevin via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:23)
Bout 3: Shaun Fraser def. Tariq Pell via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Mariusz Mikolajewski def. Joshua Onwordi via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:10)
Bout 1: Jawany Scott def. Jean Matos via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 1:08)