Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko fought to a battling draw in a women’s flyweight championship rematch at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday morning.
When the pair last met at UFC 285 in March, Grasso claimed an upset submission win in round four. This time the fight went the full five rounds, and the judges' scorecards stood at 47-48 48-47 47-47 for a split draw. Grasso retained her title, but only by the narrowest of margins, and these two will surely meet again in the not-too-distant future.
Sunday morning’s fight was full of momentum swings, from Grasso landing a knockdown in round two, to Shevchenko nearly submitting the champion with a mounted guillotine in round three, as well as a near rear-naked choke submission for Grasso in the final round.
"Yes, I am the winner," Grasso told UFC commentator Daniel Cormier during their post-fight interview.
"I think it was really 3-2 on my side," Shevchenko told Cormier inside the cage. "I think the judges felt a bit of pressure because it's Mexican Independence Day... In a fair competition, victory would be mine."
The rest of the main card saw a split decision win for Jack Della Maddalena over Kevin Holland in the welterweight division; Raul Rosas Jr made quick work of Terrence Mitchell in a bantamweight fight; Daniel Zelhuber submitted fellow lightweight Christos Giagos; and Kyle Nelson out-pointed Fernando Padilla in a featherweight opener.
The UFC continues next Sunday, 24 September, with a Fight Night from the APEX Facility headlined by a lightweight match between rising stars Rafael Fiziev and Mateusz Gamrot.
MAIN CARD RESULTS
- Main event: Women’s flyweight championship: Alexa Grasso v Valentina Shevchenko – Split draw (47-48 48-47 47-47), R5, 5:00
- Welterweight: Jack Della Maddalena def. Kevin Holland via split decision (28-29 29-28 29-28), R3, 5:00
- Bantamweight: Raul Rosas Jr def. Terrence Mitchell via TKO (punches), R1, 0:54
- Lightweight: Daniel Zelhuber def. Christos Giagos via submission (anaconda choke), R2, 3:26
- Featherweight: Kyle Nelson def. Fernando Padilla via unanimous decision (29-28 29-28 30-27), R3, 5:00