Valentina Shevchenko breaks silence after loss to Alexa Grasso at UFC 285
Valentina Shevchenko opened up about her loss to Alexa Grasso at UFC 285, which saw her dominant women's flyweight title reign come to an end.
Shevchenko took to her Instagram to thank her fans for their support after Grasso submitted her in the fourth-round via face crank. She mentioned that the even though the loss is difficult, it will make her stronger and called for an immediate rematch:
"Thank you everyone for the support! Truly appreciate all of you ! In good and bad thank you for being with me...Difficult times built strong people...Martial Arts is my LIFE and I will be back for immediate rematch stronger than ever."
'Bullet' also took responsibility for making a huge mistake in the fourth round, which eventually cost her the women's flyweight championship. She mentioned that it was frustrating for her, especially considering that she was winning the fight up to that point:
"Fight doesn’t forgive any mistake! Especially it feels frustrating when you was dominating all the fight. No excuses , only hard work ! Ready to start all over...Love you all."
Based on her lengthy title reign, the UFC will likely grant Shevchenko an immediate rematch against Grasso. It will be interesting to see whether 'Bullet' takes a more aggressive approach in the rematch.
Dana White compliments Alexa Grasso for exceeding expectations against Valentina Shevchenko
Dana White complimented Alexa Grasso for overcoming the odds and exceeding expectations en route to dethroning Valentina Shevchenko.
Grasso stuck to her gameplan and waited for the perfect moment to take 'Bullet's back and secure the face crank that won her the fight. During his post-event press conference, White mentioned that he initially thought 'Bullet' would be too strong for Grasso and was surprised at how the fight played out:
"She looked awesome tonight, her hands looked really good. When she got take down and was on her back, I loved how busy she was in the guard and kept moving, kept Valentina working, kept throwing punches, I mean, she came in with an awesome gameplan tonight and executed it perfectly." [0:15 - 0:33]
With an immediate rematch likely to take place next, it will be intersting to see how soon both fighters are willing to compete again and what the promotion has planned for the other contenders at 125lbs.