Alexa Grasso vs Valentina Shevchenko 2 Preview & Picks
Valentina Shevchenko is tipped to regain the women’s flyweight title.
One mistake proved costly for Shevchenko in the first fight, and she is highly unlikely to repeat that.
We expect to see a calculated display from ‘Bullet’ that sees her take the fight on the scorecards.
- Valentina Shevchenko is 8-1 in UFC flyweight title fights
- 2 of Alexa Grasso’s 3 career losses have been by decision
- Shevchenko landed 60% of her significant strikes in the 1st right (Grasso 32%)
- Shevchenko completed 4 of her 6 takedown attempts in fight one (Grasso 0/2)
- 12 of Grasso's 19 career fights have gone the distance
Head To Head
Alexa Grasso won by 4th round submission when the pair last fought in March 2023
Alexa Grasso Form
Alexa Grasso is the UFC women’s flyweight champion with a professional record of 16-3 (4 KOs, 2 Subs).
Grasso endured a mixed run after signing with the UFC in November 2016, going 3-3 in her first six fights.
She moved to the flyweight division after that and it was a move that immediately paid dividends as she went on a five-fight win streak that culminated in her dethroning Valentina Shevchenko.
The run started with a unanimous decision victories against Ji-Yeon Kim and Maycee Barber.
Grasso then submitted Joanne Wood in the first round of their fight, before beating Viviane Araujo on the scorecards in October of last year.
That landed the 30-year-old Mexican a shot at the women’s flyweight title in March of this year, and she took it.
She capitalised on a missed kick from Shevchenko by locking in a choke and tapping her out in the fourth round.
Valentina Shevchenko Form
Valentina Shevchenko is a former UFC women’s flyweight champion and the current #1 ranked contender with a record of 23-4 (8 KOs, 7 Subs).
Shevchenko debuted in the UFC in December 2015 and went 3-2 in her first five fights, with her only losses coming via decision against the legendary Amanda Nunes.
After her second loss to Nunes she returned to the flyweight division and went on a tear, winning nine straight fights.
In her first fight in the weight class she submitted Priscila Cachoeira in the second round, and that earned her a bout for the vacant title.
‘Bullet’ claimed the crown by beating Joanna Jedrzejczyk on points, and successfully defended it by knocking out Jessica Eye with a head kick in the second round.
Shevchenko then went on to sandwich a third-round knockout of Katlyn Chookagian with decision wins against Liz Carmouche and Jennifer Maia.
The 35-year-old Kyrgyzstani was a perfect 2-0 in 2021 as she knocked out both Jessica Andrade and Lauren Murphy, and in her sole outing of 2022 she edged Taila Santos by split decision.
Her reign came to an end in March though, as a costly mistake resulted in a fourth-round submission defeat to Alexa Grasso.