Former UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade has stepped in to face Manon Fiorot on September 3.
Rising UFC women’s flyweight prospect Manon Fiorot will now take on a former champion in her next outing. Originally scheduled to face Katlyn Chookagian in France, the ‘Beast’ is now taking on Jessica Andrade after the ‘Blonde Fighter’ was removed from the card for undisclosed reasons, per MMA Junkie’s Nolan King.
Katlyn Chookagian is out of #UFCParis. Former champ Jessica Andrade has stepped in to fight Manon Fiorot, per UFC and additional sources. Sept. 3. Story headed to @MMAJunkie. pic.twitter.com/hQHWHxWEof
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) June 15, 2022
The UFC’s website has since confirmed the matchup.
Currently on a four-fight winning streak in the Octagon, Fiorot (9-1) will most likely secure a title shot should she get past Andrade in September. During her UFC run, the 32-year-old has already scored wins over Victoria Leonardo, Tabatha Ricci, Mayra Bueno Silva, and Jennifer Maia.
In fact, Fiorot’s sole professional loss happened in her mixed martial arts debut, when she dropped a split decision to Bellator veteran Leah McCourt, in June 2018.
Looking for her third straight win, Andrade (23-9) finished both Amanda Lemos and Cynthia Calvillo in her most recent outings. Before that, the 30-year-old got TKO’d by flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, back in April 2021. This will be a return to flyweight for Andrade after besting Lemos at strawweight.
Now, Fiorot is expected to face Andrade at UFC Paris, on September 3, in the promotion’s first ever event in France. The card is scheduled to be headlined by a heavyweight bout between former interim champion Ciryl Gane and contender Tai Tuivasa.