UAE Warriors 14: World titles for Xavier Alaui and Manon Fiorot on a night of drama in Abu Dhabi

First bantamweight champion Alaui describes “25 minutes of hell and war”

Xavier Alaoui lands a high kick on Jaures Dea in the UAE Warriors 14 bantamweight title fight at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena in Abu Dhabi on Friday, November 27, 2020. Courtesy Palms Sports

Jaures Dea lands a kick on Xavier Alaoui. Courtesy Palms Sports

Xavier Alaoui launches an attack during his victory over Jaures Dea. Courtesy Palms Sports

Gabriela Campo lands a punch on Manon Fiorot. Courtesy Palms Sports

Manon Fiorot takes down Gabriela Campo. Courtesy Palms Sports

Manon Fiorot punishes Gabriela Campo before the referee stopped the contest. Courtesy Palms Sports

Emirati Mohammad Yahya lands a high kick on Briton Dan Collins. Courtesy Palms Sports

A bloodied Russian Islam Mamedov lands one on Martun Mezhulmyan of Armenia but the latter went on to win the catchweight 73kg fight. Courtesy Palms Sports

Emirati Rashed Dawood made a sensational MMA debut. Here he is seen with a rear naked choke on Uzbek Otabek Kadirov. Courtesy Palms Sports

Ho Taek-oh lands a fierce right hand on Ronald Girones. Courtesy Palms Sports

Brazilian Vinicius de Oliveira has the Russian Furkatbek Yokubov down on the canvas. Courtesy Palms Sports

Hussein Salim of Iraq receives his award from Fouad Darwish, general manager of Palms Sports. Courtesy Palms Sports

Russian Arthur Zaynukov poses with Abdulmunam Al Hashemi, chairman of Palms Sports, after the awards. Courtesy Palms Sports

Xavier Alaui and Manon Fiorot scored contrasting victories on their way to UAE Warriors Mixed Martial Arts world titles.

Alaui went through the full five rounds to become the first holder of the UAE Warriors bantamweight world title while Fiorot finished off her opponent with a flurry of punches in a first round stoppage in the women’s flyweight.

Alaui edged Jaures Dea by a unanimous points decision and was made to go the full distance by the Cameroonian in the 14th edition of the promotion at the Zayed Sports City’s Jiu-Jitsu Arena on Friday.

“I am so happy and it was my dream to be a world champion,” Alaui said, describing the contest as a “25 minutes of hell and war”.

At the pre-fight conference, Alaui predicted a win by knockout but he really had to work hard on his second UAE Warriors appearance.

“I must say mind games are huge in this game,” he said when reminded of his pre-fight prediction.

“So there was definitely some mind games but I thought I could knock him out early. I dropped him with a right hand and kicked him in the head (in the first round) but I have to say this guy is strong and he got a good chin.

“It was hard to put him out than I thought I could. Yes, I went the whole five rounds. This dude is strong but it wasn’t enough (for him).”

The Canada-based Moroccan, 29, appears to be an exciting new recruit for the UAE Warriors after clinching the title fight, taking his career record to 12-3.

“It could be anything next for me but I strongly believe this is the platform and not just a launch pad (for any MMA fighter) because I’m the champion of the world in this promotion,” Alaui added.

In contrast, Fiorot made short work of Gabriele Campo after dropping the Argentine to the canvas with an early right jab and then finishing her off with a flurry of punches with 12 seconds left in the opening round.

“From the onset, I said I wanted to finish off the contest as quickly as possible and to achieve it was great,” the French fighter said.

“I’m so happy and thankful for providing me with this opportunity in my third appearance for this promotion. I’ll be ready and looking forward to comeback and defend this belt.”