Alexa Grasso addresses title loss to Valentina Shevchenko in social media statement
Alexa Grasso recently released a post-fight statement following her loss against Valentina Shevchenko at Noche UFC 306. Grasso gave assurance to her fans that she would bounce back stronger.
Grasso put her flyweight title on the line against Shevchenko for the second time at Noche UFC 306. The five-round contest was held this past weekend at the iconic Las Vegas Sphere. Notably, this was the first women's trilogy fight in the history of the promotion.
During their first encounter at UFC 285 in March 2023, the Mexican defeated Shevchenko by fourth-round submission to win the title in one of the biggest upsets in MMA history.
In their instant rematch at Noche UFC last September, Grasso retained her belt via split draw. Despite this, several fans believed Shevchenko performed well enough to receive the judges' approval.
Grasso began their third fight aggressively, throwing punches and seeking to reduce the distance. However, Shevchenko's grappling ability ultimately determined the outcome. The Kyrgyzstani fighter dominated the fight by securing many takedowns and dictating the pace.
Throughout all five rounds, Shevchenko's dominance was clear, despite Grasso's tenacity and attempts to come back. After five rounds of action, the judges declared 'Bullet' the winner via unanimous decision.
Following the fight, Grasso issued a post-fight statement on her Instagram account, writing:
''I want to thank you for all your support. It wasn't the night I wanted. I’ll get back to training and I promise the next fight will be much better. I love them.''
As for Shevchenko, the newly minted champion was asked if she would be interested in a fourth matchup with Grasso. She declined, saying she preferred to take on fresh opponents.
''It's good to see new faces. I think it' be good to see somebody different maybe right now.''
Check out Valentina Shevchenko's comments below (15:40):
Diego Lopes reacts to Alexa Grasso's loss at Noche UFC 306
Shortly after his unanimous decision win against Brian Ortega at Noche UFC 306, Diego Lopes appeared in his teammate Alexa Grasso's corner, serving as a coach in her flyweight title matchup against Valentina Shevchenko.
Unfortunately for Grasso, the night didn't end well, as Shevchenko defeated her via unanimous decision to reclaim her title.
In the post-fight press conference, Lopes discussed Grasso's loss, saying:
''I think Alexa froze and wasn’t in the fight tonight. Valentina didn’t do much either. What did she do? She just took her to the ground and tried to control her there. Didn’t do any damage, she didn’t do anything either.”
Check out Diego Lopes' comments below (0:40):