The Noche UFC headliner truly was a draw … right down to the post-fight injuries.
Not long after former 125-pound champion Valentina Shevchenko revealed she suffered a fractured hand in the Sept. 16 main event, severe enough to put “Bullet” under the knife, reigning flyweight titleholder Alexa Grasso brought word of her own broken mitt and subsequent surgery.
“What are the odds huh? In the fight I fractured my hand; we are used to not letting the pain stop us in anything and although it hurt, I didn’t think it was serious until I wanted to go back to training and I realized my hand was still very bad,” Grasso wrote on Instagram. “The surgery was a success, thank you very much Doctor Arroyo and Doctor Zarate you are angels! I know I will be MEGA ready for that trilogy.”
Grasso captured the crown by submitting Shevchenko in their UFC 285 title fight back in March. The promotion opted for an immediate rematch; however, their five-round do-over yielded no conclusive outcome, forcing UFC CEO Dana White to order a trilogy once both fighters are healthy enough to compete.
When and where that happens remains to be seen, but expect early-to-mid 2024.