UFC Fight Night: Manon Fiorot vs Alexa Grasso Preview & Prediction

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A women’s flyweight title eliminator bout pits France’s long-time contender against Mexico’s biggest star, Manon Fiorot takes on Alexa Grasso on Mexican Independence Day weekend.

Manon Fiorot vs Alexa Grasso facts

What time are Manon Fiorot and Alexa Grasso expected to walk out? 12 September 2026 at 11:15 pm

Where is UFC Fight Night: Silva vs Delgado? Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, USA

Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night: Silva vs Delgado? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 288

What TV channel is UFC Fight Night: Silva vs Delgado on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount

Where can I stream UFC Fight Night: Silva vs Delgado? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and HBO Max / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass

UFC Fight Night: Silva vs Delgado main card

Jean Silva vs Jose Delgado (Featherweight)

Brandon Moreno vs Joseph Morales (Flyweight)

Tommy McMillen vs Marwan Rahiki (Featherweight)

Manon Fiorot vs Alexa Grasso (Women's Flyweight)

Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs Curtis Blaydes (Heavyweight)

David Martinez vs Dan Ige (Bantamweight)

UFC Fight Night: Silva vs Delgado prelims

Tim Elliott vs Edgar Chairez (Flyweight)

Ignacio Bahamondes vs Muslim Salikhov (Welterweight)

Yousri Belgaroui vs Djorden Santos (Middleweight)

Drakkar Klose vs Thomas Gantt (Lightweight)

Rafa Garcia vs Rong Zhu (Lightweight)

Sean King vs Jessie Rosas (Featherweight)

JJ Aldrich vs Regina Tarin (Women's Flyweight)

Manon Fiorot: “The Beast” needs one more win to get back to the title picture

Manon Fiorot (13-2) won her first seven inside the octagon before pushing Valentina Shevchenko to a razor-thin five-round decision at UFC 315. She answered it by stopping Jasmine Jasudavicius inside a round last October. At 36, the Frenchwoman brings a karate-based kickboxing game built on range control and relentless movement, landing 5.66 significant strikes per minute, and her 87% takedown defence rate is among the best in the division.

Alexa Grasso: The former champ returns to the card where she made history

Alexa Grasso (17-5-1) submitted Shevchenko with a fourth-round rear naked choke at UFC 285 to take the title, fought her to a draw in the rematch, then lost the trilogy. Following a defeat to Natalia Silva she looked reborn in March, dropping Maycee Barber and latching onto the rear naked in what was one of the most vicious women’s MMA finishes of all time. At 33, the Mexican is the division’s sharpest boxer, working behind a high guard and countering hard on anyone who dares to enter without care.

Manon Fiorot vs Alexa Grasso prediction

Fiorot is at her most dangerous in the first five, when nobody has her rhythm yet. The worry for Grasso is that the Silva fight exposed a specific weakness – she and her Lobo Gym team struggle to cut the cage off against opponents who circle, and Fiorot, like Silva, circles really well around the octagon.

However, Fiorot has a crack of her own. Once opponents get inside kicking range she loses composure, instinctively pulling away from exchanges with a loose guard and her chin in the air. That is precisely the invite Grasso’s counter boxing wants, and three full camps preparing for Shevchenko represent about as much elite kickboxing preparation as anyone in this division can point to.

The grappling is more subtle of an argument than it looks. Grasso is not going to out-wrestle Fiorot, whose takedown defence is elite. What she offers is scramble opportunism, reading back-takes faster than anyone at flyweight, as both Shevchenko and Barber discovered. Fiorot has no interest in that domain, Grasso is comfortable there.

I expect Fiorot to bank the opening round and Grasso to grow into the fight. The ex-champ will be in front of her Mexican crowd so I lean towards the underdog getting this done.

Prediction: Alexa Grasso to win