Alexa Grasso is surprised by Valentina Shevchenko‘s reaction to losing their UFC flyweight title fight, stating she trained for the winning moment and believes the rematch will be focused on striking, while she also muses about defending her title and the upcoming potential challengers in the flyweight division.
Alexa Grasso commented on Valentina Shevchenko’s reaction to her loss at the UFC 285. Grasso turned heads in March when she defeated Shevchenko in the flyweight title fight fourth round. Despite Grasso’s victory, Shevchenko has discredited the win by insisting that she was leading the fight before making a crucial error which resulted in her losing the title. However, Grasso doesn’t agree with this perspective.
Grasso stated at the Noche UFC media day she was taken aback by Shevchenko’s response to the defeat. “It just kind of surprised me because someone with such big experience and competing at this high, high level, we know there are no accidents,” Grasso said. She revealed that she had specifically trained for that decisive moment which made her triumph no mere happenstance. During their first fight, Grasso effectively countered Shevchenko’s strikes, compelling the champion to resort to wrestling and grappling.
Grasso is now looking forward to a rematch with Shevchenko. She is preparing for Shevchenko to focus more on the striking, something which apparently worked in her favor in their last fixture. “I did a lot of adjustments just in case she doesn’t want to strike with me,” Grasso said. She added that she was excited to hear Shevchenko had returned to Thailand to train in Muay Thai, which further encouraged her.
For Grasso, a second win over Shevchenko, who is considered the greatest women’s flyweight in MMA history, would be an extraordinary achievement. However, the Mexican champion harbors even grander dreams beyond merely unseating Shevchenko. Her next goal after defending her title is proving her continued evolution in the sport. Nevertheless, she isn’t thinking about picking future challengers until after the fight with Shevchenko. “Right now I’m focused on my fight this Saturday, but after, if everything goes like my plan, maybe on Saturday we can talk about that,” Grasso added.