Alexa Grasso may have lost her last two fights, but she still harbors ambitions of just one more outing with Valentina Shevchenko.
Bizarrely, a trilogy wasn’t enough to settle the score between the pair, whose feud began when the Mexican defeated Kyrgyz champion Shevchenko in their first meeting two years ago. It was one of the biggest upsets of 2023, and ushered in a new era for the division.
The massive upset was believed to be just a blip on the radar, but Grasso defended her belt as the pair fought to a draw in the rematch at Noche UFC that September. Shevchenko finally reclaimed the gold last September, and Grasso seemed to move out of contention as she lost her next fight to Natalia Silva.
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Alexa Grasso still wants fourth fight to settle score with Valentina Shevchenko
Alexa Grasso is still one of the top contenders at flyweight, regardless of the fact she is currently on a two-fight skid. And she is keen to remind fans how close she is to another fight with Valentina Shevchenko, once she gets back in the win column.
“I hope so,” she replied when asked in an exclusive chat with Bloody Elbow if she feels there is one more fight between the pair brewing. “We are two women fighting for the same dream in the same sport and I respect her as an athlete. But it’s all business.
“I can’t imagine going to take a coffee with her, but maybe in the future you never know… She’s great and it’s obvious why she has so many title defences. To be honest, it’s inspiring too.”
Alexa Grasso names four-fighter hitlist for UFC return
After losing to Silva at UFC 315, Grasso is further from a title fight than she has been in years. However, she has a number of prospective bouts with top prospects and former champions who could get her right back into contention.
“I’m not the kind of person who tells the UFC ‘I want this, give me that,’ I just wait and trust in the UFC’s plan,” she continued. “I’ll be ready… We have a few good matchups available for me; Manon [Fiorot], Erin [Blanchfield] and Rose [Namajunas] as well as Jasmine [Jasudavicius].
“Any one of those girls would be great for me, I don’t think I’m in a position where I can say ‘oh I want her specifically. As long as it’s someone like that then I am going to make sure that I am ready and that’s all I can do.”