In the co-main event of the evening, flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko defends her title against surging contender Alexa Grasso.
Shevchenko returns to Las Vegas seeking a 10th consecutive victory and eighth successful defense of her flyweight title on Saturday. After previously dominating the competition throughout her time in the 125-pound ranks, Shevchenko was pushed to her limits last summer in Singapore by challenger Taila Santos, edging out the Brazilian by split decision to retain her title.
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Long forecasted to be a contender, Grasso needed to change divisions to realize her full potential, having earned four consecutive victories since making the move to flyweight in 2020. Last fall, the talented Mexican scored a unanimous decision win over Viviane Araujo to cement her standing as a championship contender, and this weekend, she gets the opportunity to join Brandon Moreno and Yair Rodriguez as Mexican UFC champions.
Any time a force of nature like Shevchenko doesn’t look like a force of nature, questions arise about whether they’re starting to slip, and the only way that can be answered is inside the Octagon. Grasso has been outstanding in her last four, working largely behind her smooth, crisp boxing, but knocking “Bullet” from her throne is a tall order.
Will it be “And Still!” or “And New!” when the dust from this one settles?