It was a dream come true for Alexa Grasso, who pulled off a magnificent win Saturday night in UFC 285 to win the world women's flyweight belt at the expense of no other than Valentina Shevchenko.
After the fight, Alexa Grasso's disbelief over what she had just accomplished was clearly written all over her face and words during the interview inside the Octagon.
“Please punch me because I feel like I'm dreaming! I've been dreaming of this moment. Thank you everyone here, thank you so much,” Grasso said (h/t Alexander K. Lee of MMA Fighting).
Alexa Grasso entered the fight as the clear underdog to Shevchenko, who had not lost up until Saturday since 2017. Shevchenko won the belt in 2018 by defeating Joanna Jedrzejczyk via unanimous decision and defended the title seven times.
Grasso looked solid all throughout the fight against Shevchenko, as she kept in step with her more experienced and accomplished opponent. Alexa Grasson finally found an opportunity to put the fight to an end in the fourth round, perfectly executing a rear-end choke that forced Shevchenko to tap out.
Shevchenko had more significant strikes in the fight but Alexa Grasso landed more total strikes. She failed in her two takedown attempts while letting Shevchenko find success in four of six tries. But at the end of the day, what counted the most was Grasso's win in the most memorable of fashions.
Alexa Grasso improves to 16-3-0 with a 2-1 submission record.
She will take a much-deserved rest before preparing for her first title defense.
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