2024-09-15 16:10:02
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Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer
LAS VEGAS — The first trilogy in UFC women’s history came to its conclusion on Saturday, and it was Valentina Shevchenko who enjoyed the last laugh.
Shevchenko (24-4-1) reclaimed her flyweight title by defeating Alexa Grasso (16-4-1) via unanimous decision at UFC 306 inside Sphere. It was the third consecutive title fight between Shevchenko and Grasso, dating back to March 2023. Grasso took the belt from Shevchenko in the first meeting in a massive upset by decision. The second bout ended in a majority draw one year ago.
The final act proved to be surprisingly one-sided. Shevchenko, 35, executed a very grappling-heavy game plan, as she took Grasso down in each of the five rounds en route to unanimous 50-45 scores.
According to UFC Stats, Grasso managed to land only 18 significant strikes. Shevchenko had more than 16 minutes of control time on the ground in the 25-minute fight.
“It’s a dream come true fighting in the Sphere,” Shevchenko said. “Everything about this fight was more satisfying [than the last one]. The game plan was to go in there and fight to the end.”
It was a night of vindication for Shevchenko, who adamantly said she felt she won the rematch in September 2023. Shevchenko would have won that bout had one judge not scored the final round a 10-8 for Grasso, which is what led to the majority draw result. Although Grasso clearly won the fifth round, many questioned whether it was dominant enough to merit a 10-8 score.
Shevchenko left no doubt on Saturday, essentially neutralizing Grasso’s offense. She expertly picked at her from long range on the feet, before shooting in on well-timed takedowns. Grasso surrendered eight of 12 takedown attempts and struggled to work back to her feet. She did threaten Shevchenko with a handful of submissions off her back, including a tight guillotine in the fourth round, but couldn’t finish any off.
The crowd booed the lack of action in the co-main event at times, but that did nothing to dampen Shevchenko’s spirits. She looked emotional as the final bell sounded. She had held the 125-pound title for nearly four years when Grasso took it from her in 2022.
Originally born in Kyrgyzstan, Shevchenko is considered one of the greatest fighters of all time. She had never gone winless in back-to-back appearances in MMA until the majority draw to Grasso. She will likely face French No. 1 contender Manon Fiorot in her next title defense.
