Overview
- Alexa Grasso and Manon Fiorot meet in the five-round Noche UFC headliner on Sept. 12 in Glendale with explicit title-contender consequences.
- Fiorot says the UFC told her the winner will receive the next shot at flyweight gold but outlets note promotional promises are not always final until formally announced.
- Valentina Shevchenko vacated the women’s flyweight title because shoulder and back ligament injuries require a long recovery, and Natalia Silva will fight Wang Cong for the vacant belt at UFC 332 on Oct. 3.
- Oddsmakers and many analysts favor Fiorot entering the fight while both fighters stress they are focused on winning and adding conclusive finishes to remove any doubt about contention.
- A win would put the victor in position to challenge the new champion next month and reshape the division’s pecking order after Shevchenko’s withdrawal.