Former two-time undisputed strawweight champion, Rose Namajunas is set to snap her longstanding Octagon hiatus later this year, booking a flyweight debut against surging French contender, Manon Fiorot at UFC Fight Night Paris on September 2. from the Accor Arena.
Namajunas, the current number two ranked strawweight contender, has been sidelined from the Octagon since she co-headlined UFC 274 back in May of last year in Arizona, dropping her undisputed strawweight title in a forgettable championship decision rematch with Carla Esparza.
As for Fiorot, the Nice favorite returns to her native France as the current number two ranked flyweight contender, most recently turning in her fifth consecutive Octagon win in a unanimous decision victory against former title challenger, Katlyn Chookagian at UFC 280 back in October of last year in the Middle East.
Rose Namajunas is set for a division leap in September in a trip to France
MMA Junkie reports, Farah Hannoun, and Nolan King first reported the news of Rose Namajunas’ return and flyweight debut against French favorite, Manon Fiorot.
Former champ Rose Namajunas is headed to 125 pounds for a showdown with Manon Fiorot in Paris.
News via @Farah_Hannoun
Full story: https://t.co/6szokLgtsd pic.twitter.com/v2Nt4bSUxt
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) June 23, 2023
11-5 as a professional, Namajunas, a staple under the tutelage of both former UFC heavyweight, Pat Barry, and ONX Labs technician, Trevor Wittman, has reclaimed strawweight gold back in April 2021, defeating Chinese favorite and current champion, Zhang Weili with a thunderous high kick KO in just over a minute.
Defending the title against the Hebei native in an immediate championship re-run at UFC 268 of that year at Madison Square Garden, Rose Namajunas managed to land a close split decision win.
Namajunas first struck gold with a shocking upset win over the then-promotional-perfect, Joanna Jedrzejczyk back in 2018 at UFC 223 – also at Madison Square Garden with a stunning first round ground strikes TKO victory.
10-1 as a professional, Fiorot who has shot through the flyweight rankings since her UFC bow back in January 2021, has so far turned in victories over Victoria Leonardo, Tabatha Ricci, Mayra Bueno Silva, as well as former flyweight title challengers, Jennifer Maia, and the aforenoted, Chookagian.
UFC Fight Night Paris takes place on September 2. from the Accor Arena in Paris, France – with a heavyweight main between former interim champion, Ciryl Gane, and Sergei Spivak taking headlining honors.