Alexa Grasso is "Backing the GOAT" Lionel Messi as she places four-figure bet on Argentina to win Copa America
UFC flyweight champion Alexa Grasso is putting her money on football GOAT Lionel Messi and the Argentina team to win the Copa America tournament this year. The Mexican world champion put down $2,500 with the potential to more than double her money with $6,875 if Argentina wins the finals.
Grasso posted her bet on Instagram with the caption:
"Backing the GOAT 🐐 with @stake & @kunaguero! 🤑😏 #TheGoatsHaveArrived"
Argentina is coming in as the defending world champions this year, besting Brazil 1-0 in the finals game last year. Messi scored a total of four goals to bring his team to the finals, with teammate Angel Di Maria scoring the lone goal to win them the Copa American Cup.
Here's to hoping they make a repeat this year, at least for Grasso's sake. Champ puts her money where her mouth is.
Alexa Grasso coaches 32nd season of 'The Ultimate Fighter' opposite rival Valentina Shevchenko
Speaking of tournaments, Alexa Grasso is coaching her team in the ultimate proving ground in pro-MMA, 'The Ultimate Fighter'. The long-running reality TV show has been around for 20 years and has produced 15 UFC world champions.
For the 32nd season, both Grasso and her rival, former UFC flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko, were to coach four middleweights and four featherweights each. The fighters will have to live with each other under one roof as they train with and fight each other in the Octagon, one bout per week.
In the first week, Grasso's top featherweight, fellow Mexican Guillermo Torres, narrowly lost a razor-close decision to Shevchenko's Roedie Roets of South Africa.
In the second week, Team Grasso's middleweight Robert Valentin of Denmark faced Greece's Giannis Bachar, representing Team Shevchenko. With barely 20 seconds into the fight, Valentin landed a wicked right elbow to knock Bachar out cold, evening the score to 1-1.
In the third week, Grasso's featherweight Kaan Ofli of Australia wrestled to a dominant win over England's own Nathan Fletcher.
So far, Team Grasso is at 2-1 over Shevchenko, but it's still early in the tournament and anything can happen. So far, the season has been highly competitive, with the most culturally diverse set of fighters the series has ever had.