Alexa Grasso: ‘I’m happy with my performance’

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Saturday’s Noche UFC card ended with Alexa Grasso being awarded the new UFC women’s flyweight championship. Unfortunately, it was not a moment that celebrated the outstanding 25-minute bout that had just taken place, but rather shined a spotlight on a controversial finish.

The sensational bout pitting Grasso against former champ Valentina Shevchenko ended in the worst possible outcome. After five rounds, judges scored the fight a split draw, which meant Grasso retained her title, but there was no resolution for either fighter.

This fight deserved a winner. Grasso and Shevchenko were both outstanding, and should have earned a Fight of the Night bonus–one they did not receive. Instead, this will be remembered for judge Mike Bell’s scorecard, which awarded Grasso a 10-8 score in the fifth round.

The rounds of the judges’ scorecards (47-47 from Bell, 48-47 for Shevchenko from Sal D’Amato, and 48-47 for Grasso from Junichiro Kamijo) were all over the place, a clear indication this was an exceptionally close fight. But Bell’s 10-8 score in the fifth, after awarding Shevchenko the fourth round, will forever remain a mystery.

“The second, fourth, and fifth were for me,” said Grasso. “But I’m not the judge.”

It is difficult to score a round 10-8, unless a fighter displays dominance, duration, and damage. Shevchenko controlled the majority of the fifth, until she went for a headlock and gave up her back to Grasso. That changed the entire bout, as Grasso then pounded away, applied a body triangle, and nearly got Shevchenko to submit to a face crank as the fight ended.

“I was close to finishing it there,” said Grasso. “I’m happy with my performance.”

Shevchenko stated in her post-Octagon speech that she believed the judges felt pressure to score the fight for Grasso because it was Mexican Independence Day. There must be a better explanation, but we’ll never know it since the judges are not held accountable for their scoresheets.

"The judges felt pressure because it's Mexican Independence Day" 👀🇲🇽

Valentina Shevchenko responds to her split draw with Alexa Grasso 🎤#NocheUFC pic.twitter.com/COrNbkjl8K
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) September 17, 2023

Lost amid that post-fight chaos was the brilliance of the bout. The first round saw a slight edge for Shevchenko, but Grasso was able to drop her with a ferocious right hand in the second. The third round belonged to Shevchenko, and she locked Grasso in a body triangle with over two-and-a-half minutes remaining. Yet, somehow, Grasso found a way to survive.

Perhaps that round tired Shevchenko, as she was the recipient of a flurry of knees to the body in the fourth round. Both women were able to land their jab, and the round finished with Grasso applying an ankle lock. And while the fifth started off in Shevchenko’s favor as she inflicted punishment with her combinations, Grasso found a way to rewrite the course of women’s flyweight history by seizing the final moments of the fight.

“I trained so hard for the championship rounds,” said Grasso. “I wanted the fourth and fifth rounds to be my best.”

Though Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot are both deserving of a title shot, the division cannot move forward until there is a trilogy bout between Grasso and Shevchenko. The solution can be solved with Blanchfield and Fiorot competing in a title eliminator, while Grasso defends the belt one more time against Shevchenko.

“There are a lot of other girls fighting for this position,” said Grasso. “But whatever the UFC says, I’ll do.

“I’ll fight a new contender if that is the next step. It all depends on the UFC. If they want a trilogy, let’s do this.”