Manon Fiorot undergoing knee surgery following UFC 280

The new No. 1 contender in the flyweight division is going to be out of action for some time.

Manon Fiorot told Alexandre Herbinet of RMC Sport that she suffered a knee injury in her fight against Katlyn Chookagian at UFC 280 this past October. According to the ‘Beast,’ she knew something was wrong with her right knee after she heard a ‘crack’ in the first round.

“Afterwards, I tried not to think about it and to continue,” said Fiorot (translation by RMC Sport). I didn’t even talk to [head coach] Aldric [Cassata] at the end of the round. But I felt that there was something wrong and that there was a problem.”

Fiorot defeated Chookagian by unanimous decision, her fifth consecutive win in the UFC after joining the promotion over two years ago. Since then, she has climbed up the official UFC rankings and claimed No. 1, under reigning champion Valentina Shevchenko.

Before Fiorot can return to the Octagon, she must undergo surgery on her right knee, which she has scheduled for next Tuesday.

“We went to see a really specialized surgeon in Lyon, one of the best knee specialists, Dr. Bertrand Sonnery Cottet,” said Fiorot. “He operated on Zlatan Ibrahimovic and he takes care of a lot of football players. He looked at my leg and examining my knee in five minutes, without even looking at the MRI, he told me that everything was broken, that the ligament was broken. And the MRI confirmed that afterwards. It is a total rupture of the ligament. The rehabilitation had been done well and the last MRIs before the fight showed that it was well repaired. But apparently, it wasn’t strong enough.

“I will have surgery by him next Tuesday in Lyon,” continued Fiorot. “It reassures me and gives me confidence because I know he’s a very good surgeon.”

When she does return, Fiorot has a few options to consider for her next fight. She can either challenge Shevchenko or compete in an eliminator against Alexa Grasso, who she said would be ‘a good fight for the fans and the division’.