- Alexa Grasso wants to return the favor and give Valentina Shevchenko a chance to reclaim her title in a quick rematch
- The 29-year-old is eyeing to win more fights via submissions and prove that she’s an all-around fighter
New UFC women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso is already open to giving Valentina Shevchenko an instant rematch, but her upset win at UFC 285 is still being celebrated in her home country in Mexico.
A fair champ
For those who didn’t know, Shevchenko defended her flyweight title seven times before losing to Grasso. In respect to the now-former champion’s dominant stint, Grasso is willing to give Shevchenko the immediate rematch she’s calling for.
“I think that she was so dominant [as] the Champion but yeah of course,” Grasso told ESPN MMA of a rematch with Shevchenko. “She gave me the opportunity and I’m gonna give her too.”
Grasso still couldn’t believe that all of a sudden, she is now the best fighter in her division. But despite being overwhelmed, the 29-year-old vows not to get carried away and prove that she is capable of being an all-around fighter.
“Honestly, I dreamed a lot with that moment. When I was there I was like, ‘Damn! this is just like in my dreams.’ And I’m glad that I joined it [the current UFC champions]… all these months, all these years and well this is the result of that… It felt great like I said I want to show that I’m a complete athlete. I know that you guys know me for my boxing but I want to show that I’m a complete athlete and I want to keep achieving more submissions too,” she added.
A tribute to the new champ
Back in Mexico, solid Grasso fan and artist Mode Orozco quickly expressed his support to their homegrown champion by painting a mural of the new flyweight queen with a resounding label that says, “Viva Mexico.” The mural was done swiftly after Grasso dethroned Shevchenko via fourth-round submission.
See Grasso’s mural below:
Grasso’s road to flyweight supremacy was no walk in the park. After losing to Carla Esparza in 2019, Grasso worked her way to a title shot with Shevchenko by winning her next four consecutive fights, including a submission win over Joanne Wood at UFC Columbus.
With mutual interest from both parties, it is up to the UFC if they will be green-lighting Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2.
