What’s Next For Alexa Grasso? After UFC Night Fight Against Shevchenko
Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko fought a back-and-forth battle for the flyweight title that seemed to be judged by the narrowest of margins. At least it should have been. A wild 10-8 ruined the mood a bit, but it was still a very fun match.
Alexa Grasso
Add to that a solid welterweight bout between Jack Della Maddalena and Kevin Holland, and the result was a night of solid action. Has the time come for the Grasso vs. Shevchenko trilogy? Is Della Maddalena on her way to the top 10 of the 170? And is Lupita Godínez a covert at 115 pounds?
To answer these questions, and perhaps a few more, We will use the classic UFC Silva and Shelby fight booking methodology from years ago. That means pitting winners against winners, losers against losers, and talent with a similar track record. Let’s hope that, following that model, some of these fighting ideas come off the page and into the octagon. And now, let’s fight!
► UFC Night: Fights to do for Alexa Grasso
The only reason we’re pairing Grasso on the winner’s side is because she retained the title. That’s one thing we don’t agree with in MMA, when there’s a tie in a title fight, why does the champion keep the title, shouldn’t it be vacated? But that’s a discussion for another day. What would a stellar championship fight be without controversy? We don’t think it’s possible. Both women had their moments in this match and put on a great show for the packed T-Mobile. Grasso knocked down “Bullet” Shevchenko in the second round, but was unable to finish the fight, and it looked like that moment would be decisive, as Shevchenko took control in the following rounds.
The UFC broadcast team even mentioned going into the final round that Grasso likely needed a finish to retain his title. The challenger came out strong in the last round and controlled the exchanges during the first two minutes.
However, Grasso’s champion mentality began to shine as she began to press for a finish and managed to take the fight to the ground, where she tried to score some submissions. But nothing worked and the fight ended with Shevchenko probably on top for five tough rounds.
When Bruce Buffer began reading the judges’ scorecards, it almost seemed like there was a strange feeling in the air. He proceeded to announce that the match had ended in a split draw, which seemed fine at the time. Both the UFC stars had their moments in the fight and it was a very close 25 minutes. But then the judges’ scorecards were released and that’s when the problem arose.
Mike Bell decided he had seen enough in the fifth round to award Alexa Grasso a 10-8. Mike Bell may have been the only person on Earth who believes that round warrants a 10-8. There was more of an argument that Valentina Shevchenko won the final round than Alexa Grasso scoring a 10-8. Due to Bell’s pathetic score, the fight ended in a draw and we’re back to square one.
Because of this, it seems there is only one sensible outcome to this, and that is a trilogy fight between the two flyweights.
