Reigning UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko will defend her 125-pound title against No. 4-ranked division contender Alexa Grasso at the upcoming UFC 285 pay-per-view (PPV) event, recently made official for Sat., March 4, 2023 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
That’s according to ESPN.
Shevchenko (23-3) is the winner of nine straight, which includes her split decision victory over Brazilian bruiser Taila Santos in the UFC 275 co-main event last June. Most fans expected an immediate rematch; however, matchmakers had other plans.
Grasso (15-3) rebounded from a decision loss to Carla Esparza to capture four in a row, recently taking a unanimous decision over Viviane Araujo at UFC Vegas 62. The rough-and-tumble Grasso will enter the contest five years younger than “Bullet” at 29.
UFC 285 will be headlined by the vacant heavyweight title fight between former 205-pound champion Jon Jones and ex-interim titleholder Ciryl Gane. Elsewhere on the card, Bo Nickal and Jamie Pickett collide at middleweight while Derek Brunson and Dricus Du Plessis hook ‘em up at 185 pounds.
For the current UFC 285 fight card and PPV lineup click here.