Alexa Grasso has developed a weird chemistry with longtime foe Valentina Shevchenko ahead of their upcoming fight.
Grasso will look to defend the women’s flyweight title in a trilogy title fight against Shevchenko in the co-main event at UFC 306 on Sept. 14 at The Sphere in Las Vegas. In addition to their history inside the Octagon, Grasso and Shevchenko are also coming off their stints as rival coaches on Season 32 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
Having shared the set on “TUF 32,” Grasso revealed that she inevitably ended up spending a lot of time with Shevchenko. With less than two weeks to go before they trade leather, the champ claims her relationship with Shevchenko is “really, really weird.” However, Grasso also knows that all that will be left aside on fight night as they put their bodies on the line for UFC gold. Proud to be a part of the first women’s trilogy in UFC history, Grasso promises another barnburner at UFC 306.
“We’ve been so many times together, we’ve been like talking a lot in the show,” Grasso told MMAjunkie.com. “I mean a lot of faceoffs, again and again. It’s really, really weird. I mean, I can tell it’s really weird. But at the end of the day, on fight week and the day of the fight, things change. We’re out there trying to kill each other, so that’s the most important thing. And it’s really cool to be able to meet her more and able to do a lot of stuff together. I admire her, she has done so much. And she’s a really big inspiration. To be on this stage, doing same things, making history. We’re doing something really cool, first women trilogy. First fight was amazing, second fight was so, so amazing, and you can expect the third fight will be a hell of a fight.”
Grasso challenged Shevchenko for the first time at UFC 285 in March 2023. “Bullet” was winning on all scorecards before a failed spinning attack exposed her back to Grasso, who lost no time in securing a face crank to earn a huge upset win in the fourth round. The two met in a rematch in September 2023 at Noche UFC, which is the promotion’s yearly tribute to the Mexican Independence Day. After going toe-to-toe for five rounds, the fight was judged a controversial split draw and Grasso retained her belt. Shevchenko later protested that the scorecards were tilted for the Mexican champ to retain her belt due to the backdrop of the event.
The Kyrgyz icon was even reluctant to fight Grasso at UFC 306, which is also being billed as Noche UFC Riyadh Season. Shevchenko has a lot at stake going into the trilogy, where a loss will likely remove her from the title picture for the time being. Grasso believes Shevchenko has a measured style that has been detrimental to her in their fights. Grasso hopes Shevchenko comes out more aggressively at UFC 306, and she looks forward to it.
“She has a style that waits too much. She’s just going back, back, back… If you want get your belt back, I don’t think that’s great to do that. If you want the belt you have to go for it… I would love that… I know exactly what I need to do to secure my win but I hope that she can do more exchanges and go forward and chase that belt.”
