Fiorot cruises past Blanchfield in UFC Atlantic City main event

In a battle of top women's flyweights, Manon Fiorot defeated Erin Blanchfield via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) in the UFC Atlantic City main event Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall.

Fiorot, the winner of 12 in a row, called for a shot at the UFC title in her postfight interview. Alexa Grasso is expected to defend the belt in a trilogy fight against former champion Valentina Shevchenko later this year, though Fiorot could be next for the winner.

The Frenchwoman boasted a significant striking advantage against Blanchfield and controlled the action from start to finish. Fiorot used elite timing, accuracy, and distance management to pick apart Blanchfield, who rushed forward but produced minimal offense and ate a lot of shots in the process.

Fiorot is now 7-0 in the UFC and tied with strawweight Tatiana Suarez for the fourth-longest active winning streak in the promotion, according to UFC research analyst Michael Carroll. Fiorot, 34, was coming off a win over former strawweight champ Rose Namajunas at UFC Paris last September.

Fiorot was ranked No. 3 in the 115-pound division coming in, and Blanchfield was No. 2.

Blanchfield, one of the brightest young stars in women's MMA at age 24, suffered her first UFC loss. The New Jersey native began her Octagon tenure with six straight victories and had lost just once as a pro before Saturday.