Alexa Grasso’s ascent up the women’s flyweight rankings will continue after UFC 258.
In the co-main event, Grasso (13-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) picked apart Maycee Barber en route to a unanimous decision victory by 29-28 scores from all three judges.
The women’s flyweight bout took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
The opening round was closely contested in the clinch and on the feet. Grasso was the calmer and more composed of the two fighters as she stayed on the outside, controlled the clinch, and landed the better shots in the pocket when the two exchanged.
Grasso’s best moment came in Round 2 when she rocked Barber (8-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) with a powerful left hand. Barber was stunned but avoided any further onslaught. Midway through the round, Barber turned the tables when she landed a combination and took Grasso down. However, Grasso reversed position and took Barber’s back. The round ended as Grasso sought a rear-naked choke.
In Round 3, Barber turned up the volume. After a brief takedown, Barber slung punches at Grasso, who tried to remain calm on the retreat. Fighting with a sense of urgency, Barber gunned for the finish, but she’d never find it.
Grasso, 27, turns a win into a winning streak and remains undefeated in the UFC at flyweight. In August, Grasso defeated Ji Yeon Kim by unanimous decision. She has now won three of her most recent four fights.
Barber, 22, drops her second straight fight following an upset loss to former UFC women’s flyweight title challenger Roxanne Modafferi in January 2020. In the loss, Barber tore her ACL – an injury that required surgery and kept her out for more than a year.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 258 results include:
- Alexa Grasso def. Maycee Barber via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Kelvin Gastelum def. Ian Heinisch via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Ricky Simon def. Brian Kelleher via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Julian Marquez def. Maki Pitolo via submission (anaconda choke) – Round 3, 4:17
- Anthony Hernandez def. Rodolfo Vieira via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 1:53
- Belal Muhammad def. Dhiego Lima via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Polyana Viana def. Mallory Martin via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:18
- Chris Gutierrez def. Andre Ewell via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 30-27)
- Gabe Green def. Phil Rowe via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
