UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko has issued a challenge to Manon Fiorot to retire from the sport. She also added a snide remark in response to a recent call for a title shot. Shevchenko recently snagged back her gold in this year’s Noche UFC (UFC 306) pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event.
Fiorot hasn’t fought since a win over Erin Blanchfield in March, which earned her the next title shot. Unfortunately, that championship has been tied up in a trio of fights between Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso. On Friday, Manon Fiorot expressed her frustration at waiting for a title shot in a message sent to champ Valentina Shevchenko. It didn’t take “Bullet” long to load up the chamber and fire a shot.
You lose – you retire Deal?!!
ill-mannered first-grader.Valentina Shevchenko via X (@BulletValentina)
Retiring for the fight was a strong enough challenge. Nevertheless, Shevchenko added a snark to punctuate her reply, calling uncouth Fiorot a “first-grader” without manners. The champ from Team Tiger Muay Thai (TMT) completed the octo-bling challenge in the octagon after all. After UFC 306 PPV, she’s the first fighter to fill out all eight ruby spots on her legacy belt.
You lose – you retire 👊 Deal ?!!
ill-mannered first-grader https://t.co/ni4YIGXDjg
— Valentina Shevchenko (@BulletValentina) November 8, 2024
Shevchenko knows that Fiorot will likely be her next challenger after her UFC 306 victory over Grasso to reclaim the women’s flyweight gold. Fiorot, who is unbeaten in seven fights in the UFC, weighed in as a reserve for the bout. There are some pre-running thoughts about this particular matchup.
Erin Blanchfield can’t wait to see how Valentina Shevchenko handles Manon Fiorot’s size
Erin Blanchfield likes Manon Fiorot’s chances against UFC women’s flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko. The UFC has not officially announced plans for Shevchenko or Fiorot’s next billing. But widely, remarkably, they meet each other after recent call-ups.
After going unbeaten in the octagon, Fiorot will be Shevchenko’s next title challenger. This includes a win over Blanchfield in the main event of UFC on ESPN 54, as well as bruisers like Rose Namajunas and Mayra Bueno Silva before that.
Valentina Shevchenko is otherwise infamous for being a tact sniper who does it all. However, her last billing at UFC 306 against Grasso caught some flak for intelligent yet alleged lazy wrestling. After sensing Fiorot’s strength and failing to take her down, Blanchfield (13-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) expects the Frenchwoman’s size to cause trouble.
I think Manon could do very well, …I could even see her beating Valentina. I could see Valentina winning, but I think Manon can use her size. I think she’s a very big flyweight, and she knows how to use her range and like her length. I think Valentina is more like dynamic and has more skills…So, I’m curious how Valentina is going to deal with her size
Erin Blanchfield to MMA Junkie’s Nolan King
Since the loss, Blanchfield bounced back with a five-round victory over Namajunas in the co-main event, which took place in the near past at UFC Edmonton (UFC Fight Night 246). She then called out to Grasso, who provided real-time play-by-play translation on ESPN+ at 5 p.m. ET.
Grasso would naturally be looking to settle things with “Bullet” or get her gold back if she refuses a fourth fight. Blanchfield projects there would be top title contender implications with Grasso if her call-up comes to pass. So even though she’s weighing in on Manon Fiorot’s chances, she is subtle about inserting herself into it.
