While some will compare the magic that occurred at UFC 285 to that of Julianna Pena and Amanda Nunes, this was different. Alexa Grasso set the tone early, never went away and in the end, found her opening against the long-reigning Valentina Shevchenko.
Grasso appeared to be in a different place while Shevchenko was celebrating her reign during her walkout. The longtime women’s flyweight champion always has an aura and confidence about her but something just seemed different.
Grasso would soon show us this night was going to be different and she was the one in control by setting the tone early.
ALEXA GRASSO HAS DONE THE UNTHINKABLE! 🏆🇲🇽@AlexaGrasso dethrones Valentina Shevchenko by submission for the flyweight title!!
[ #UFC285 | B2YB @65movie ] pic.twitter.com/k2oMv4KvsW
— UFC (@ufc) March 5, 2023
Grasso Sets the Tone Early Against the Champion
Alexa Grasso walked to the cage and with a look so calm that she knew she was either entering a funeral or a surprise party, she seemed to early on want to have a party. She would come out to start the fine with refined boxing technique, specifically in her stance. Grasso was bobbing while Schevchenko was staying nimble on her feet until she was hit with a clean combination.
Grasso would hit the champion with a clean one-two combination and follow it up with a right hook. The hook specifically wobbled Schevchenko and set her back and Grasso would close the distance but not recklessly. She would finish round one by controlling the distance and doing well on the ground for the closing second of the round.
Schevchenko Gets Comfortable
The champion, Shevchenko in rounds two and three went back to what she knew best and where she could overpower Grasso and that was with wrestling. She would almost get in a mounted crucifix twice in round two and would gain several dominant positions in round three.
Shevchenko would get comfortable at times, even being stood up at one point, but she never got comfortable in the stand-up. She would dive for takedowns time and again and secure them as Grasso’s reaction time just seemed slower than one would expect.
That was until round four.
Grasso Saw Her Opening and Ran Through the Door
Round four started with more of the same as Shevchenko was getting the better of the challenger. Shevchenko would get a little too confident and comfortable however and do her best Chris Weidman impression and throw a spinning back kick that missed badly and Grasso saw her chance then.
Grasso would take her back, lock her in a rear naked choke, and in the process, she was squeezing so hard her white nails were digging into her own arms she also closed her eyes. The look on Grasso’s face was that of looking back and realizing “everything comes down to this” and as round four came to a close the champion was forced to tap and Mexico had its third world champion.
Grasso was emotional in her post-fight interview, celebrating the win. Shevchenko said she was looking for “immediate revenge.” Running this one back will be a lot of fun and will be much more interesting than a Pena-Nunes rematch as well. These two women match up very well and the mental battle they will have in camps will be almost as tough as the physical one awaiting them in the rematch.
