- What: UFC Atlantic City Main Event
- Who: Erin Blanchfield vs. Manon Fiorot
- Date: Saturday, March 30, 2024
- Location: Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey
- Time: Prelims (7:00 p.m. ET) Main Card (10:00 p.m. ET)
- How to Watch: Prelims (ESPN2), Main Card (ESPN)
Two of the top UFC women’s flyweights meet in the main event of the UFC Atlantic City card at Boardwalk Hall. Headlining the ESPN fight card is a matchup between Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot. Blanchfield is the No. 2 fighter in the official UFC women’s 125-pound rankings, while Fiorot checks in at No. 3 in those rankings. The only fighter ranked higher is former champion Valentina Shevchenko. Alexa Grasso is the UFC women’s flyweight champion. Here is some background on the fighters before we look at the betting breakdown for UFC Atlantic City.
Erin Blanchfield (12-1) is unbeaten as a UFC fighter. The 24-year-old, who hails from New Jersey, is 6-0 with the promotion. Blanchfield is coming off a unanimous decision win over Taila Santos in August.
Manon Fiorot (11-1) also has a perfect UFC record. The 34-year-old from France has a 6-0 UFC mark. Fiorot is coming off a September decision win over former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas.
Before we look at the best bets for the Blanchfield vs. Fiorot matchup on the UFC Atlantic City card, check out the best UFC betting sites and where you can find the best odds on all the UFC fights.
UFC Atlantic City main event: Erin Blanchfield vs. Manon Fiorot betting picks
Erin Blanchfield betting breakdown
Erin Blanchfield’s most recent fight, a win over Taila Santos, should serve her well headed into this fight. Like her opponent in Atlantic City, Manon Fiorot, Santos was a better striker than Blanchfield heading into that fight. Blanchfield did well against Santos by employing movement, making her an elusive target. She also never backed down in that matchup, taking the fight to her opponent and reducing the amount of space Santos had to employ her kickboxing style. Blanchfield will need to use a similar game plan against Fiorot, but she’ll need to be even more elusive because Fiorot is a more active striker than Santos.
Another thing Blanchfield needs to do in Atlantic City is do her best to get the fight to the mat. Blanchfield is still a work in progress. At 24, she is improving in each of her UFC outings, especially in her striking.
Blanchfield, who usually uses her striking to set up her takedowns, is active on her feet. She lands 5.58 significant strikes per minute, with a success rate of 52 percent. She gets hit, on average, 3.32 times per minute and has a striking defense of 62 percent. Blanchfield averages 2.86 takedowns per 15 minutes of UFC fight time. Her takedown accuracy is 36 percent, and her takedown defense is 83 percent. Blanchfield averages 1.2 submissions per 15 minutes.
Manon Fiorot betting breakdown
Manon Fiorot looked incredible in beating Rose Namajunas in September. An excellent striker with a lot of power, despite just two UFC knockout wins, Fiorot is a threat to any woman in the UFC’s 125-pound weight division. She sets a fast pace and has a high-output striking game to go with a high fight IQ and impressive takedown defense. Further, once she gets taken to the mat, Fiorot stays there for only a short time. Fiorot does a great job at fighting at distance, and she doesn’t shy away from using takedowns and working on the ground herself.
Fiorot’s strikes landed per minute of 6.05 is the fifth-highest number in the history of the UFC’s women’s flyweight division, and her striking differential of 2.74 is the second-highest in the weight class. Additionally, Fiorot’s striking defense percentage of 69.6 percent is second-best in the division. Fiorot is not the most accurate striker, connecting on 39 percent of her attempts, but her volume is noteworthy. She attempted 225 significant strikes against Namajunas. Fiorot absorbs 3.31 significant strikes per minute. The French fighter attempts 1.36 takedowns per 15 minutes and lands at a 16 percent rate. Fiorot’s takedown defense is a noteworthy 91 percent, and she has only spent 10 seconds on the mat. Fiorot stopped all six of Namajunas’ takedown attempts.
Best Bets: UFC Atlantic City main event – Erin Blanchfield vs. Manon Fiorot
Erin Blanchfield has a lot of hype behind her, and many think she is a future UFC champion. However, I wonder if Blanchfield is at the point in her career where she is ready to make the jump top title challenger. Blanchfield is likely to struggle with the striking, range, and takedown defense of Fiorot in this matchup. Because of the difference in striking skills, the betting pick is for Fiorot to pick up the win via decision, but a bet on a late TKO stoppage for Fiorot is also a bet worth considering.
See below a list of reliable sportsbooks and choose the best one for you.
