Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) flyweight champion Alexa Grasso will defend her 125-pound strap against former division titleholder Valentina Shevchenko in the Noche UFC pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event, locked and loaded for Sat., Sept. 14, 2024 inside The Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Grasso vs. Shevchenko 3 will also conclude Season 32 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), where both combatants have spent the last few months coaching a group of new recruits to the coveted “six-figure contract.” But if either fighter gets injured or misses weight, No. 2-ranked flyweight contender Manon “The Beast” Fiorot is prepared to step in.
“Manon is officially backup for the belt, she will be in Vegas,” coach Aldric Cassata told Boxemag. “If there is no injury [to Grasso or Shevchenko], I think the [title fight] will be at the end of the year or the beginning of next year.”
Fiorot (12-1) is undefeated under the UFC banner, racking up seven straight wins since crossing over from UAE Warriors back in late 2020. That includes her unanimous decision victory over top contender Erin Blanchfield at UFC Atlantic City back in March.
UFC 306 at The Sphere will be headlined by the bantamweight title fight between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili, a five-round battle that marks the second title defense for the hard-hitting “Sugar.” A potential backup fighter for that championship contest has yet to be determined.
For much more on the upcoming Noche UFC event click here.