This past Saturday in the co-main event of Noche UFC, the women’s flyweight title was on the line. Alexa Grasso (16-4-1) was looking to defend her flyweight title against the former champion Valentina Shevchenko (24-4-1) in the third fight of their series.
These two first fought in March 2023 where Grasso shocked the world by submitting Shevchenko in the fourth round. They ran things back at the first Noche UFC event last year and they fought to a draw where both fighters had their moment. While many believed Shevchenko won, Grasso retained her title with the fight being a draw.
Saturday night, they settled the score once and for all. Grasso had big time moments in the second fight and honestly, I liked her chances in this trilogy. She had struggled with Shevchenko’s wrestling in the first two fights, but I banked on her ability to improve heading into this matchup.
The takedown defense was largely non-existent in this matchup. Throughout the co-main event at UFC 306, Shevchenko bullied Grasso and took her down almost at will. When they were striking, Grasso never got going and Shevchenko was hitting her with flush counters. While the first two fights were very competitive, this fight was anything but. Shevchenko won her flyweight title back winning all five rounds on all three judges scorecards.
What’s next after Noche UFC?
Had this fight been extremely close with Shevchenko winning, there would have been an argument for a fourth fight right away. This is a series that’s very similar to the Brandon Moreno – Deiveson Figueiredo series. Through three fights, the two are 1-1-1. However, through three fights with those two, it wasn’t extremely clear who was better.
After Noche UFC, I think it’s pretty clear Valentina Shevchenko is better right now than Alexa Grasso. They’ve fought for 13.5 rounds and Shevchenko has clearly won ten of those rounds. Grasso had big moments including her submission win, but overall, Shevchenko was just a step ahead of Grasso.
Since an immediate title shot is not in the cards, what is next for Alexa Grasso? In looking at the rankings, I really like the idea of Grasso and Maycee Barber running it back. Manon Fiorot is going to fight Shevchenko next with Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield fighting in November. The UFC’s fourth ranked contender (Barber) isn’t booked and she’s desperately wanted to run it back with Grasso. It’s the perfect fight and the perfect time to make it happen.