In just less than two years in the ONE Championship, atomweight contender Noelle “Little Monkey” Grandjean has left a lasting impression in the world of combat sports. The former Judo champion is slowly climbing the ladder since transitioning to mixed martial arts and finds herself at the cusp of a title opportunity with an exciting win earlier this month at ONE Fight Night 20 on the International Women’s Day card.
In an exclusive interview with Sportsmanor, the French-Thai fighter Noelle Grandjean reflected on her victory and also shared her thoughts on her previous opponent.
“Honestly when I dropped her, I thought she would give up. The second time I dropped her in the first round, I thought she would give up. But she was really tough. She kept on fighting.” Grandjean said after the three-round war against Souza, which saw the 27-year-old fighter drop the Brazilian in the very first round en route to a unanimous decision victory.
Grandjean, who had never gone to the judges’ scorecard in her ONE career, also talked about her increased confidence and how she is slowly finding her footing in all the departments of mixed martial arts.
Check out the full interview here.
Initially training out of Tiger Muay Thai, Noelle Grandjean, who also goes by the monicker “Little Monkey” has now shifted to Southside MMA, where she is now training full-time under a different team. She also said she will soon introduce a new head coach, hoping to further sharpen her MMA skills under experienced leadership.
Noelle Grandjean talks about a sparring session with Stamp Fairtex
If you didn’t know already, Noelle Grandjean and Stamp Fairtex have a bit of a history. The atomweight contender started her MMA career at the Fairtex Training Center and used to train alongside the current champion. However, this was before her meteoric rise in the ONE Championship.
Speaking about a potential match-up against Stamp Fairtex, Grandjean stated that she is confident in a fight against the current champion and believes that her grappling ability backed with her Judo background could prove to be too much for Fairtex, who relies heavily on her striking.
She even recalled a sparring round with the current Champion where she revealed how she was able to takedown Fairtex with ease, and expects a similar outcome if they ever share the ring.
“I love Stamp, honestly. She is a great athlete. Let’s see if she keeps the belt or not because we are both Thai athletes”
Noelle Grandjean gives her take on fighting Stamp Fairtex@ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/6GTrfPkpSa
— Sportsmanor ONE (@Sportsmanor_one) March 21, 2024
“I did start my pro-career in Fairtex. We were good. I love Stamp, honestly. She is a great athlete. Let’s see if she keeps the belt or not because we are both Thai athletes, so I don’t know if it’s the best outcome to fight someone who is fighting under the same flag as me, but maybe it’s good. Thai people would love it.”
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“I sparred once actually with her, it was really really early in my MMA career and I took her down straight away. She comes from striking, and I come from Judo, this is what happens.”
That’s not all. Noelle Grandjean envisions a title shot very soon, and while she did share a little bit about her next opponent (confirmed), an official announcement is imminent.