Valentina Shevchenko will return to action against Alexa Grasso at UFC 285.
Reigning UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko has proven to be a dominant champion since taking the gold in the 125-pound category. She boasts a glittering resume that has seen her go essentially undefeated in her weight class, bar two outings with UFC two-division champion Amanda Nunes.
Coming off a close-fought win over Taila Santos in her last outing, Shevchenko will look to add another title defense under her belt and extend her winning run to 10.
Valentina Shevchenko will fight Alexa Grasso at UFC 285
MMA Junkie confirmed the title match between Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso for UFC 285 on Mar. 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
As commanding a champion as Shevchenko has been, her last outing drew the criticism of many who believed Santos did enough to get the nod on the judges’ scorecards. Meanwhile, rising prospect Alexa Grasso will look to capitalize on her momentum after racking up an impressive four-fight win streak, including wins over Viviane Araujo, Joanne Wood, and Maycee Barber. It will mark her first shot at the promotional gold since joining in Nov. 2016.
Jon Jones will feature as the main event
The UFC 285 fight card will be headlined by the bout between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight championship. Jones will make his comeback against the former interim champion and also step inside the cage for the first time as a heavyweight fighter. Although a title shot was not out of Jones’ reach, the decision was made after the company failed to reach an agreement with its lineal and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou for a new contract.
Along with Jones, massively hyped prospect Bo Nickal will also return to action for his debut in the organization following three impressive finishes last year.
UFC 285 Fight Card:
- Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane – vacant heavyweight title
- Valentina Shevchenko (C) vs. Alexa Grasso – women’s flyweight title
- Viviane Araujo vs. Amanda Ribas
- Bo Nickal vs. Jamie Pickett
- Geoff Neal vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov
- Derek Brunson vs. Dricus Du Plessis
- Julio Arce vs. Cody Garbrandt
- Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Julian Marquez
- Kamuela Kirk vs. Esteban Ribovics
- Farid Basharat vs. Da’Mon Blackshear
- Jessica Penne vs. Tabatha Ricci
- Mario Bautista vs. Guido Cannetti
