Noche UFC: Valentina Shevchenko Finally Opens Up About Controversial Split Draw Result
Valentina Shevchenko recently opened up about her title fight against Alexa Grasso at Noche UFC. The former women’s flyweight queen claimed that she was extremely disappointed in the result and felt the judges were “completely unfair” to her.
Shevchenko and Grasso left it all in the octagon last weekend at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Their title fight was one for the books, and fans were at the edge of their seat throughout. At the end of 25 minutes, the judges’ decision led to a massively controversial split draw result. The controversy mostly stemmed from one judge scoring the final round 10-8 in Grasso’s favor.
While the Mexican undoubtedly ended the fight strong, controlling Shevchenko on the ground for the final few minutes, many contested the validity of the 10-8 score. The final scorecards read – 48–47, 47–48, 47–47. Due to the final round scoring wrench, the contest couldn’t have a clear-cut winner.
After the fight, Valentina Shevchenko addressed the controversy and gave herself props for giving her 100% in the fight. However, ‘Bullet’ made it abundantly clear that she disagreed with the 10-8 score and accused the judges of bias. Speaking to reporters afterward, Shevchenko opined that Grasso won two rounds and called the fifth-round score absolutely unfair.
The Kyrgyzstan native then continued to speculate that the judges were influenced by the occasion and lambasted Mike Bell. Firmly reiterating that she deserved to win, Valentina Shevchenko addressed the thumb injury she suffered in the first round. She stated that it may be a broken thumb but couldn’t tell for sure.
While Shevchenko’s hand injury could hamper her chances at securing a trilogy rematch, she’s optimistic it’ll happen in due time. Valentina Shevchenko ended by stating she’s always committed to giving it her all every time and doesn’t care who the UFC puts in front of her next.