Plenty of UFC fans are still reeling from Sean Strickland’s stunning upset of Israel Adesanya on Sunday in Australia, but that might not even be the biggest championship shocker of the year to date.
Perhaps more eye popping was Alexa Grasso capturing the flyweight title from the dominant Valentina Shevchenko, submitting the then-champ via fourth-round face crank and becoming the first woman to capture UFC gold for her native Mexico.
“I know what I’m capable of,” Grasso told The Post during a recent video call ahead of Saturday’s scheduled rematch for her first title defense against Shevchenko. “The first round, I was touching her with every single punch I was throwing. She changed the strategy in the second and third round, but in the fourth, I was able to handle the situation. I was able to do better against what she was trying to do.”
“Better” is underselling it. Grasso (16-3, six finishes) deftly latched herself onto the back of Shevchenko (23-4, 15 finishes), a prohibitive -900 favorite and multiple domestic sportsbooks, after a missed spin kick.
Although not quite cinching in a rear-naked choke, Grasso squeezed the fight out of her heralded opponent to hand Shevchenko her first loss in 11 fights at 125 pounds.
That it came via just the second finish of her 11-fight UFC career only added to the shock value of what transpired in Las Vegas.
T-Mobile Arena will again serve as the venue for the rematch on Saturday (10 p.m. ET, ESPN+) for the event billed as Noche UFC, the promotion’s most overt embrace of Mexican Independence Day.
Boxing has, for many years, positioned must-see attractions featuring Mexican fighters near that impactful date.
Grasso expects her headliner will attract her countrymen to flock to Sin City to watch her and the likes of fellow Mexicans Fernando Padilla and Edgar Chairez.
“It’s gonna be huge,” Grasso says. “It’s gonna be full of people that know us. It’s going to be amazing to have a lot of support in there.”
As much as it would have been nice for such an event to be the UFC’s return to Mexico for the first time in four years, Grasso is pleased with the way the event has been built and what plans are involved.
Add the colorful, custom-designed championship belt with some Mexican flair that goes to the winner, and there’s a lot to like for Grasso.
Bettors like Grasso more this time, too, as she’s no longer a massive underdog in what amounts to a prove-it-again matchup against Shevchenko, whom BetMGM has listed at -185.
“I’m not in control [of] the odds. I know that I’m the underdog like the first time, but it’s normal because she was a super dominant champion,” Grasso said. “And I’m ready for that.”