5 biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko 2

The UFC was in Las Vegas last night, but they may as well have been in Mexico, as the promotion’s latest Fight Night had a heavy Mexican flavor.

Booked to coincide with Mexican Independence Day, UFC Fight Night: Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko 2 featured a number of Mexican or Hispanic fighters, most of whom performed well.

Who were the big winners at last night’s event, though? With five bonus awards handed out, there were definitely plenty of contenders.

Here are the five biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko 2.

#5. Alexa Grasso – drew with Valentina Shevchenko to retain the UFC flyweight title

Alexa Grasso retained her title after drawing with Valentina Shevchenko [Image Credit: @ufc on Twitter]

Alexa Grasso’s headline bout with Valentina Shevchenko didn’t come without controversy, as almost every round was razor-close and difficult to score. In the end, despite many observers scoring it for ‘The Bullet’, the judges couldn’t split things, and the fight ended in a split draw.

However, while Shevchenko will probably be rueing the mistake that allowed Grasso to take her back and dominate the fifth round – essentially saving the fight for her – the Mexican is likely to be happy today.

Sure, she didn’t finish ‘The Bullet’ as she did earlier this year, but she still looked excellent throughout the fight and proved that her first win was no fluke by any means.

Whether her next fight is a trilogy bout with Shevchenko or something else entirely remains to be seen. However, Grasso is still the UFC flyweight champion, and to that end, even though she didn’t win last night, she should still be considered a big winner.

#4. Lupita Godinez – defeated Elise Reed in a UFC strawweight bout

Lupita Godinez is now on a three-fight win streak [Image Credit: @ufc on Twitter]

It’s probably fair to say that since her UFC debut back in April 2021, Lupita Godinez has not been the most consistent fighter in the promotion.

However, since moving to strawweight in the latter part of that year, she’s definitely hit her stride. It’s arguable that her win last night over Elise Reed was the best performance she’s put together to date.

‘Loopy’ dominated proceedings from start to finish, hurting her badly in the first round and coming close to a finish before sealing the deal in the second with a rear naked choke.

There are, admittedly, still some questions about the Mexican’s strength of opposition. Godinez has still not beaten a ranked opponent, and probably won’t climb into the top fifteen with this win either.

However, with three victories on the bounce, she’s earned a shot at a ranked opponent, and as last night’s win also earned her a $50k bonus, she should definitely be seen as a major winner.

#3. Daniel Zellhuber – defeated Christos Giagos in a UFC lightweight bout

Daniel Zellhuber has a lot of potential at 155lbs [Image Credit: @ufc on Twitter]

Mexican prospect Daniel Zellhuber came into last night’s event with quite a bit of hype around him following an impressive win over Lando Vannata in April.

Last night saw him matched with a relatively tricky opponent in Christos Giagos. The longtime UFC veteran was coming off a solid win over Ricky Glenn, and on paper, appeared to have the skills to give Zellhuber a test.

However, ‘The Golden Boy’ worked his way through a sticky opening round to hurt Giagos with a right hook, and when he shot in with a sloppy takedown attempt, made him pay with a picture-perfect anaconda choke.

The finish was definitely one of the best on offer last night, and quite rightfully won the Mexican a $50k bonus.

Outside of this, though, the win seemed to show that Zellhuber has a surprisingly high ceiling in the packed lightweight division, particularly as his lanky frame should give plenty of opponents difficulties.

While he isn’t ready for top-level foes yet, ‘The Golden Boy’ marked himself out as a man to watch with last night’s performance, making him a big winner.

#2. Raul Rosas Jr. – defeated Terrence Mitchell in a UFC bantamweight bout

Raul Rosas Jr now appears to be back on track [Image Credit: @ufc on Twitter]

When 18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. suffered the first defeat of his career at the hands of Christian Rodriguez, it felt like any hype he had around him evaporated.

That was completely unfair, though. Sure, ‘El Nino Problema’ had probably talked himself up a little too much for a fighter with one win in the UFC, but the fact that he’d even made it to the octagon in his teens was still remarkable.

As you’d expect with a prospect so young, Rosas Jr. showed plenty of improvements last night, as he needed just 54 seconds to starch Terrence Mitchell, earning a $50k bonus in the process.

Sure, nobody is going to claim Mitchell was a top-level opponent, but that’s not the point. Rosas Jr.’s striking looked far sharper than it had done before, and when he dropped his foe, he made sure to claim a dominant position before hunting for the eventual finish.

It’s highly likely that ‘El Nino Problema’ will still stumble a few more times during his career before he reaches the top at bantamweight – if he ever does, of course.

However, with so much potential, it’s hard not to be excited about him. Now back on track, he should definitely be considered a big winner from last night’s event.

#1. Jack Della Maddalena – defeated Kevin Holland in a UFC welterweight bout

Jack Della Maddalena is now 6-0 in the octagon [Image Credit: @ufc on Twitter]

While he didn’t finish Kevin Holland off, there’s no doubt that the fighter who claimed the most important victory last night was Jack Della Maddalena.

Sure, the bout between the Australian and ‘The Trailblazer’ wasn’t as wild as many fans might’ve hoped, and indeed, it paled in comparison to the more thrilling main event.

However, Della Maddalena looked far better than he did in his previous visit to the octagon – a controversial win over Basil Hafez – and was largely able to land the better strikes throughout the bout.

Given how good Holland had looked against Michael Chiesa just a month or two ago, it’s hard to play down the importance of a win like this for a young fighter.

What lies in the future for Della Maddalena? Given that Holland was ranked at No.13 in the welterweight division coming in, it’s likely he’ll face a top-10 contender next, and if he can get past him, the sky is the limit.

Either way, the Australian is beginning to live up to the hype around him, and with sharp strikes and strong cardio, he could yet reach the top. Last night wasn’t his best showing, but he was still the event’s biggest winner overall.