Before Jon Jones defeated Ciryl Gane in the main event Saturday night, UFC 285 featured a massive upset. Valentina Shevchenko suffered a stunning loss to Alexa Grasso in the UFC women's flyweight title match.
Shevchenko dropped the 125-pound title to Grasso when she was submitted in the fourth round. The now-former UFC champion was winning the fight until she missed a spinning kick that allowed Grasso to take her down and lock in a rear-naked choke. Shevchenko tapped out and Grasso won by submission.
“This is kind of like what happens in mixed martial arts,” Valentina Shevchenko said after the fight. “You're winning the fight all around and then a situation can change the whole game. Congratulations to Alexa, I know that I'm stronger, and if not for the spinning kick, it would be a different result.”
Shevchenko wants a rematch with Grasso and a chance to win back her title.
“I was definitely winning the fight,” Shevchenko said.
According to the judges' official scorecards, Shevchenko was right. All three judges awarded Grasso the first round, but Shevchenko came back with consecutive 10-9 rounds on every scorecard. Had Shevchenko not attempted that spinning kick, her flyweight championship reign might very well have continued.
Shevchenko entered UFC 285 as the company's No. 2 ranked pound-for-pound female fighter. Shevchenko won the 125-pound belt on Dec. 8, 2018. She successfully defended it in seven straight fights against seven different women.
UFC 285 ended Shevchenko's nine-fight winning streak. Her only two losses in the UFC have come against Amanda Nunes. Both of those fights went the distance. Nunes is the company's top-ranked pound-for-pound women's fighter.
Grasso was a +520 underdog on the morning of the fight. Jones was the favorite before beating Gane to close out UFC 285.
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