Alexa Grasso is one of the best examples of how the world of UFC can be cruel. One day you're at the top of the world winning championship fights, and on a different one you're being fed to the UFC newcomers. MMA will get at you fast, and Grasso has felt this on her skin. Before joining UFC, Grasso was an undefeated MMA fighter amassing 8 wins. It didn't take long for Dana White and UFC to notice her and give her a contract.
Grasso's UFC career started well as her debut was a unanimous decision win against Heather Clark at UFC Fight Night: Dos Anjos vs. Ferguson. What followed was the reality of UFC where there are no bad fighters just those who are either better or worse than you on the night. In the next five UFC fights Grasso won only two against Randa Markos via split decision and Karolina Kowalkiewicz via unanimous decision. She lost to Felice Herrig via unanimous decision, Tatiana Suarez via submission and to a majority decision vs. Carla Esparza.
It was not an easy task for Grasso to get to winning ways and even less to get enough wins under her belt to get herself into title contention. Yet, the loss to Carla Esparza was a wakeup call for Alexa. The Mexican fighter was inspired enough by three losses in five matches to get her act straight. It resulted in a more than impressive four win run that put her into title contention. Grasso won matches against Ji Yeon Kim via unanimous decision, Maycee Barber via unanimous decision, Joanne Wood via submission, and at the Fight Night she headlined, Viviane Araujo fell to another unanimous decision.
By the time of her win against Araujo it was evident that the Mexican fighter was much more than your average UFC competitor. She has become a star and a title contender, and as well a centrepiece of Alexa Grasso feet obsession that had many fans of the fighter clamouring over her feet. For some, an object of obsession, but in the octagon her feet are a weapon she is not afraid to use. The pinnacle of Grasso's career so far came in the title bout against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 285.
Grasso vs. Shevchenko First Fight
UFC 285 was the biggest stage Alexa Grasso was on, and she proved the doubters wrong. The Mexican fighter was a massive underdog in this bout, as she was facing one of the top fighters the female UFC has ever seen in The Bullet. Yet, she has proven her worth, as she did in the past, over and over again. Shevchenko fell in the fourth round to a rear naked choke. The feat of defeating Valentina The Bullet Shevchenko was not just a title bout that Grasso won, but a win against the most dominant female champion of the era. UFC 285 was a monster upset by Grasso, making her the third active Mexican champion at the time. Before her loss to Grasso, Shevchenko had managed to defend her title record breaking seven times. As you could have guessed, the rematch was inevitable.
Grasso vs. Shevchenko Noche UFC
The fans of both fighters didn't have to wait for too long to get a rematch, as another title bout was scheduled for September 16th, 2023. The event was done in celebration of Mexico's Independence Day and it was evident that Grasso as a title holder was the perfect face to headline it. The fans were left in dismay after the bout, as it doesn't happen too often that a title bout ends up in a draw. After the Noche UFC in September of 2023, Grasso has held onto her belt but in not so favourable fashion. The fight went up until the last bell, and the judges were not able to determine a winner after giving both fighters a split draw 48-47, 47-48, 47-47. At that point it was clear that the fight would require a trilogy, as no fighter was satisfied with the outcome that was a split draw. In the aftermath of the bout Grasso was not immediately committed to doing another fight vs. Shevchenko, while The Bullet was all for it claiming that the judges were biased due to the celebrations of Mexico's Independence Day and having a Mexican fighter in the title match. While Grasso was reluctant to promise another fight vs. Shevchenko, there was enough interest for UFC to go forward with another fight, and you can bet Dana White was all for it.
Grasso vs. Shevchenko UFC 306
It took UFC a whole year to schedule another Grasso vs. Shevchenko match but UFC 306 was more than worth the wait. It was the co main event, but we could argue that it took the headlines. Shevchenko was the fighter who had more to prove in this bout, and she made it sure for everyone to know. Grasso was the fighter that stopped her attempt at 8 title defences, and The Bullet was out for revenge. While the first two fights were close encounters, this was anything but. Valentina went all out from the start and she even skipped on the gloves touch at the beginning. Kicks and punches were flying left and right, followed with clips and elbows. Shevchenko brought her artillery and was not afraid to use it all. Throughout every round, Shevchenko was the better fighter. When it was all said and done, The Bullet won the fight via unanimous decision, finally getting her hand on the belt once again. She was also quick to defend it and at UFC 315 she went all out against Manon Fiorot and won another title bout via unanimous decision. As for Alexa Grasso, we could say that her career went on a downward spiral, after getting her hands on the belt, and then losing it to the same opponent.
The Aftermath of Shevchenko Trilogy
For three years, the main story of the female side of the UFC was the rivalry between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko. The Bullet came out as the eventual winner, and has been going strong since her title win and another title defence, and is awaiting a duel vs. Zhang Weili in high spirits. At the same time, Alexa Grasso has failed to find her footing. After her title bout loss to Shevchenko, Grasso has gone on to fight Natalia Silva at UFC 315. In what was expected to be a close encounter, many were surprised by Grasso's inability to put up a fight against Silva. At UFC 315 Silva proved that at the moment she is in a much better position to be given a title opportunity than Grasso is to get back into title contention. In what was recorded as one of the clearest unanimous decisions in the sport, UFC 315 marked a massive win for Natalia Silva and huge loss for Alexa Grasso. While Grasso remains adamant that she will get back into title contention, the questions around her imminent future are still looming.
What's Next For Alexa Grasso?
The fight and loss to Natalia Silva has opened a new avenue for Alexa Grasso, while it might not appear like that from the get go. The duel vs. Silva was created for Grasso to get her straight back into title contention and another duel vs. Shevchenko. The aftermath put her farther than she ever was facing The Bullet again. For the past three years she has been preparing for only one fighter, and when paired against Silva it was evident she was not ready, and we could say, even rusty. Now that she knows there are other fish in the pond, she will be more careful in her training and preparation.
While there is no official bout scheduled on Alexa Grasso's calendar, the one fight that is being rumoured is a bout vs. Rose Namajunas. The ideal setting for their match would be at Noche in Guadalajara. Grasso has often claimed that she dreams about fighting in her hometown. The only issue with this venue is that it is not yet battle ready, so the fight in Guadalajara needs to be scheduled for 2026. That would be a wait far too long for a fighter aiming to get right back into title contention. With her most recent loss to Silva, it is not out of the question that she would require two wins to even sniff a chance at fighting Shevchenko again. With Natalia Silva being opened to a rematch, we are sure that if Grasso manages to win a rematch against her, and wins against the rumoured opponent in Rose Namajunas, she could be facing Valentina Shevchenko once again. While we can't say that The Bullet is thinking about Grasso with her eyes being set on Zhang Weili it is a well known fact that Alexa Grasso feels that there's still a score to be settled between them two.
The Possibility of Grasso vs. Shevchenko Vol 4
Alexa Grasso still has high hopes of getting back into the octagon vs. Valentina Shevchenko. While her ambition might be one thing, her ongoing slump is not doing her any favours. In the world of UFC, and especially after losing a title bout in the process, two losses are massive, and hard to overcome. For Grasso, it is not only about fighting for the title, but also about getting one up over Shevchenko. At the moment their score is 1-1-1. A submission win by Grasso, a draw, and a unanimous decision win by Shevchenko really do leave space for thinking that a fourth duel is necessary. Grasso is for it, the fans are too, it's just that Valentina Shevchenko has gone onto bigger and better things.
The funny part about their rivalry is that usually when there's a trilogy involved the score gets settled. Yet, with the two fighters drawing one match via split decision by the referees. From the moment Grasso took down the Kyrgyz reigning champion, everyone expected a new era in the division, only for Shevchenko to get back to the top as strong as ever.
Alexa Grasso was not a quitter, and after losing the title, she wanted to get back into a rematch with The Bullet, but Natalia Silva put a stop to her ambitions. Yet, the two fight skid is not a good look for her ambitions. Yes, Grasso remains one of the top contenders in the flyweight division, but she is now in a position where she needs to prove herself again in order to get a title bout against no other than Valentina Shevchenko. The way things stand now, and as we said, we're unsure whether one win will do the trick for Grasso.
The good news is that Grasso is aware that she needs to get back to winning ways in order to compete for the title. At the moment she is farthest from being in contention that she's been since 2019. This is not a new reality for Grasso and she has a shortlist of fighters she needs to win against to be able to call out Shevchenko. Of course, she remains modest and states that she will take any opponent UFC throws against her.
Among those that would put her immediately into title contention if winning, Grasso singles out the likes of Manon Fiorot, Erin Blanchfield, Rose Namajunas, and Jasmine Jasudavicius. While being aware that she can't be too picky about opponents at the moment, Grasso is aware of her reputation, and as a former champ she will most likely have a say at which bout she desires more from the ones put in front of her.
With all of the above said, one thing remains clear. Grasso wants to fight Shevchenko, but she's also aware that more wins are necessary to get that opportunity. At only 32 years of age, the father time works in her favour, and if she gets the much desired fourth outing vs. Shevchenko she might be in a better position to reclaim the title against the much older opponent.
