Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Alexa Grasso and Ji Yeon Kim faced off in a women’s Flyweight bout tonight (Sat., Aug. 29, 2020) at UFC Vegas 8 from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. In a strong showing, Grasso picked her opponent apart.
Grasso scored early with a quick right hand and some heavy kicks. When the two moved to trade left hooks, Kim landed clean. The former Strawweight appeared to be a good deal quicker than Kim. Kim scored with a left uppercut but absorbed a combination. Grasso mixed in low kicks with good consistency. Kim landed another hard left hand counter, standing right in the pocket. Kim stuck her foe with a cross. Grasso landed a clean left hook of her own and followed it with a low kick. Stiff jab from Grasso. Huge exchange sees both women land hard, but neither woman stumbled. Grasso lands a clean right and jab before the bell.
Grasso opened the second round with kicks. Kim found a home for her right hand. Heavy overhand connected for Grasso, but Kim was unfazed. Kim landed a sneaky uppercut then took another overhand. Kim check hook connected, but she wasn’t throwing a ton of her own strikes. A Grasso right hand turned the chin of her opponent, and a quick combination followed for the Mexican athlete. Two-piece combination scored as Kim tried to lead. Kim’s nose began to leak, and another right hand scored. Superman punch from Grasso! Heavy counters continued landing for Grasso, who really figured out her opponents timing in the latter half of the round. Right hand stumbled the South Korean! Kim scored with a left and a low kick in the closing exchanges of the round.
Grasso scored first in the third, a looping left hook that landed clean. Grasso ducked into a takedown attempt, but a guillotine convinced her to abandon the shot. Kim landed a good right hand, but she took two in return a moment later. 1-2 for Kim, who started growing more aggressive. Kim pushed her opponent into the fence with a clinch, but Grasso reversed position. The clock ticked away as the two traded tiny shots in the clinch. Grasso scored an outside trip with just over a minute remaining in the fight. Grasso settled in half guard, happily riding out top position with some elbows to finish a strong effort.
Though clearly at a size disadvantage, Grasso made good use of her speed to out-work her foe in her Flyweight debut. Considering the general lack of competition at Flyweight, Grasso is likely already a contender at 125 lbs.
Result: Alexa Grasso defeats Ji Yeon Kim via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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