Taila Santos pushed Shevchenko for the first real time in June 2022, but Shevchenko showed off her championship resolve and Fight IQ to bring home that decision. Although she doesn’t make excuses for her title-losing tap out at UFC 285, she continues to bring up her qualms with the judge who gave Grasso a 10-8 scorecard in the fifth round of their rematch. Had that score come in as a 10-9, Shevchenko would have earned the split decision nod, but she is adamant about bringing the trilogy to a definitive end.
Meeting in the Middle
While some have qualms about the draw a year ago, what’s indisputable is that the fight was close. Grasso outlanded Shevchenko on the feet, including the knockdown scored in the second round. Shevchenko found most of her success on the ground, scoring four takedowns on seven attempts and collecting more than eight minutes of control time, but Grasso held her own on the ground in pockets, including in the fifth round, where she had 90 seconds of control.