Watch this video and tell us if you think it shows Manon Fiorot tapping to that tight Erin Blanchfield guillotine in the first round of their UFC Atlantic City main event.
Manon Fiorot thoroughly dominated Erin Blanchfield across five rounds in their UFC Atlantic City main event bout. It was so one sided that Fiorot took the decision win 50-45 on all three judges’ scorecards (watch highlights from the fight here).
Blanchfield’s best moment was a first round guillotine attempt, one that looked like it was extremely close to finishing Fiorot. And now in review, there may be some who argue Fiorot was indeed forced to tap to the submission.
Twitter user Jpwnz clipped footage from the guillotine attempt which seems to show Fiorot tapping as she attempts to roll out of the choke.
Did Manon Fiorot tap in the first round against Erin Blanchfield? You be the judge. I don’t see why else her hand would go up onto Erin’s leg and do this. Seemed to me like the roll squeezed the little room she had left to breathe and she may have tapped. #UFC #UFCAtlanticCity pic.twitter.com/vjbup02IG6
— Jpwnz (@itsJpwnz) March 31, 2024
“Seemed to me like the roll squeezed the little room she had left to breathe and she may have tapped,” they wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
If you watch the footage enough times, it does look like perhaps Manon Fiorot taps. But we’ve seen phantom taps like this before where the fighter in question insists the constant replay creates a fake impression of the situation. When bodies are in motion and hands are moving and grabbing, a lot of taps can be found during scrambles.
In the end, it’s really about what the ref sees. A submission isn’t official until the referee calls it. No call, no submission, even if Fiorot did tap. But a botched call on this level in the main event would certainly fit the night’s trend, given what a mess UFC Atlantic City was for controversial officiating and ignored fouls.
Now let’s wait and see what Erin Blanchfield has to say about the situation.