UFC 285: Previewing Jon Jones vs. Cyril Gane and the Rest of the Card

Now that UFC 284 has come and gone, it’s time to start gearing up for the promotion’s next pay-per-view: UFC 285, slated for March 4. Just like its…

Now that UFC 284 has come and gone, it’s time to start gearing up for the promotion’s next pay-per-view: UFC 285, slated for March 4. Just like its…

Stock Up, Stock Down: Pound-for-Pound Rankings After UFC 284

UFC 284 went down over the weekend in Perth, Australia, with two of the sport’s top pound-for-pound fighters colliding in the main event. In one corner, we had…

UFC 284 went down over the weekend in Perth, Australia, with two of the sport’s top pound-for-pound fighters colliding in the main event. In one corner, we had…

Valentina Shevchenko Surprised At Number Of Alexa Grasso Backers Pre-UFC 306: ‘When Pro Fighters Say That…’

UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko was shocked to be on the wrong side of so many predictions from fellow fighters prior to her victory inside the Sphere earlier this month. Shevchenko began her second reign on the 125-pound throne at the UFC 306 (Noche UFC) pay-per-view event in Las Vegas on September 14, where […]

Continue Reading Valentina Shevchenko Surprised At Number Of Alexa Grasso Backers Pre-UFC 306: ‘When Pro Fighters Say That…’ at MMA News.

UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko was shocked to be on the wrong side of so many predictions from fellow fighters prior to her victory inside the Sphere earlier this month.

Shevchenko began her second reign on the 125-pound throne at the UFC 306 (Noche UFC) pay-per-view event in Las Vegas on September 14, where she finally got the better of Alexa Grasso at the third time of asking.

Having previously been submitted by the Mexican to lose the belt and failed to regain it in a split draw, “Bullet” turned to her smothering wrestling game to get the job done in lopsided fashion when the pair completed their trilogy.

The way the bout played out was a stark contrast to what most had expected, with some branding it among the toughest championship fights to predict so far this year in the lead-up.

That view left plenty edging to the side of the defending champion ahead of UFC 306, which evidently left Shevchenko baffled…

Shevchenko Shocked To See UFC Peers Picking Against Her

During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Shevchenko took a moment to address the number of people — specifically other professional fighters — who had leant the way of Grasso in their pre-fight picks.

While the newly crowned champ would have expected such takes from the fanbase, she expressed surprise at how many of her UFC peers dismissed her chances of unseating the Mexican on fight night.

“Surprisingly for me, many UFC fighters, many pro fighters, when they had their picks before our third fight, they said, ‘Grasso…oh Grasso.’ It was kind of one-sided,” Shevchenko said. “It was a little bit surprising for me. I would take it from people who don’t know much about martial arts, and they just want to see (stupidity) in the striking, like (finding out) who has a stronger chin, a stronger head, and it doesn’t involve too much technique, too much fighter IQ, too much of the character of the fighter.

“I would take it from those people, but when pro fighters say that, it was like, ‘Oh my God. There’s something wrong with this world,’” Shevchenko continued. “That’s another reason I had to show domination. I had to show I’m superior in every field.”

Regardless, Shevchenko proved her doubters wrong inside the Sphere to commence a second rule of the flyweight division. She’ll now set her sights on adding another defense to her résumé, which will likely need to come at the expense of the charging Manon Fiorot.

Continue Reading Valentina Shevchenko Surprised At Number Of Alexa Grasso Backers Pre-UFC 306: ‘When Pro Fighters Say That…’ at MMA News.

Chael Sonnen ‘Bothered’ By Valentina Shevchenko’s Octagon Interview At UFC 306

According to former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen, Valentina Shevchenko left a key topic out of her Octagon interview inside the Sphere. Shevchenko was among the biggest winners to emerge from this past weekend’s pay-per-view event in Las Vegas, where she regained the women’s flyweight crown to start her second reign in the division. To […]

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen ‘Bothered’ By Valentina Shevchenko’s Octagon Interview At UFC 306 at MMA News.

According to former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen, Valentina Shevchenko left a key topic out of her Octagon interview inside the Sphere.

Shevchenko was among the biggest winners to emerge from this past weekend’s pay-per-view event in Las Vegas, where she regained the women’s flyweight crown to start her second reign in the division.

To do so, “Bullet” got the better of Alexa Grasso at the third time of trying, upsetting the pro-Mexico crowd at the promotion’s second annual celebration of the nation’s independence day with a dominant grappling performance across five rounds.

Many were quick to express their disappointment with the lack of action in the Noche UFC co-headliner, but one former fighter-turned-analyst was left frustrated for a different reason…

Sonnen Criticizes Shevchenko For Omitting Fiorot From Post-Fight Interview

During the latest episode of his Good Guy / Bad Guy show alongside Daniel Cormier on ESPN MMA’s YouTube channel, Sonnen outlined one aspect of the latest numbered card that he wasn’t the biggest fan of.

“The American Gangster” pointed to Shevchenko’s post-fight interview, questioning why she chose to focus on an abundance of thank yous instead of addressing the expected first challenger to her second divisional rule.

“Can I tell you what one of my least favorite parts (of UFC 306) was? It’s very simple,” Sonnen said. “There was an alternate that flew in and weighed in in case anything happened in the Grasso/Shevchenko fight, (Manon) Fiorot. … At a minimum, it would have been nice if Valentina mentioned her.

“I feel like it’s clear that Fiorot is next. She was almost that night. And after the fight, Valentina went in a different direction. She wanted to thank Hunter Campbell and Dana White as opposed to call out an opponent,” Sonnen continued. “I felt for Fiorot. To come over there, get licensed, go through all the medicals, go through the training camp, the weight cut, and there’s no opportunity, which means there’s not a very big check to split up with your team. At a minimum, you could have had a callout. … On a human level, to a degree, it bothered me.”

Fiorot successfully made weight last Friday as the backup fighter for the co-main event of the Sphere-held event. Her services were ultimately not required on fight night, and her title shot is instead expected to come off the back of a full preparation down the line.

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen ‘Bothered’ By Valentina Shevchenko’s Octagon Interview At UFC 306 at MMA News.

Alexa Grasso Makes A Promise After Losing Title To Valentina Shevchenko At UFC 306

Having been unseated from the flyweight throne at Noche UFC (UFC 306) this past weekend, Alexa Grasso is vowing to bounce back stronger. Grasso met Valentina Shevchenko once again in Saturday night’s co-main event inside Las Vegas’ Sphere, hoping to get the better of the MMA legend for a second time and close out their […]

Continue Reading Alexa Grasso Makes A Promise After Losing Title To Valentina Shevchenko At UFC 306 at MMA News.

Having been unseated from the flyweight throne at Noche UFC (UFC 306) this past weekend, Alexa Grasso is vowing to bounce back stronger.

Grasso met Valentina Shevchenko once again in Saturday night’s co-main event inside Las Vegas’ Sphere, hoping to get the better of the MMA legend for a second time and close out their trilogy on top.

That didn’t come to fruition, however, with “Bullet” instead leveling the score in their most one-sided fight thus far.

After falling to a surprise submission first time around and subsequently failing to regain the belt in a tight rematch that was ruled a draw, Shevchenko left no doubt about her superiority at UFC 306, using a smothering wrestling attack to pitch a shutout on the scorecards.

Given the difficulty many had predicting a winner in the lead-up, Grasso’s uncompetitive display came as a surprise. And reacting to the result herself, the Mexican has pledged better next time out.

Grasso Thanks Fans, Promises Improvements

A couple of days on from the end of her reign, which came at the UFC’s second annual celebration of Mexican Independence Day, Grasso made her first statement in relation to the result.

The now-former champ thanked her fans for their support and unsurprisingly admitted that things went far from how she had hoped.

That’s something she promised to rectify next time out when she attempts to work her way back toward the flyweight gold.

“I want to thank you for all your support ? It wasn’t the night I wanted,” Grasso wrote in Spanish. “I’ll get back to training and I promise the next fight will be much better.”

While Grasso looks to rebound in her return down the line, Shevchenko will have her sights on cementing her second divisional rule and establishing the kind of dominance she was able to find first time around.

It would appear likely that the first step in that pursuit comes against Manon Fiorot in early 2025. The Frenchwoman has established herself as a top contender by winning all seven of her UFC fights to date, including over Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield. She was also in Las Vegas last week to weigh in as the backup fighter for the UFC 306 co-main event.

Continue Reading Alexa Grasso Makes A Promise After Losing Title To Valentina Shevchenko At UFC 306 at MMA News.

‘Valentina Dvalishvili’ – MMA Fighters & Fans React To Shevchenko’s Total Domination Over Alexa Grasso At UFC 306

In the co-main event of UFC 306, Valentina Shevchenko reclaimed the UFC flyweight title from Alexa Grasso in their third meeting. The former champ was able to execute a game plan that saw her strike from distance before securing takedowns and dominating the fight with her wrestling, making for an impressive display but a slow […]

Continue Reading ‘Valentina Dvalishvili’ – MMA Fighters & Fans React To Shevchenko’s Total Domination Over Alexa Grasso At UFC 306 at MMA News.

In the co-main event of UFC 306, Valentina Shevchenko reclaimed the UFC flyweight title from Alexa Grasso in their third meeting.

The former champ was able to execute a game plan that saw her strike from distance before securing takedowns and dominating the fight with her wrestling, making for an impressive display but a slow fight.

Grasso was able to threaten with several submission attempts but none of them were close enough to really sway any of the rounds in her favor as she was beaten 50-45 across all three scorecards.

Despite them now being 1-1-1 in their trilogy of fights, this was by far the most one-sided of their encounters and with many believing that Shevchenko deserved to win the rematch, there isn’t likely to be one more fight between them as of right now.

MMA Fans React To The Conclusion Of Alexa Grasso & Valentina Shevchenko’s Trilogy

The first-ever trilogy of fights between two women in the UFC has come to an end with Shevchenko once again reigning at the top of the flyweight division.

MMA fans and fellow fighters reacted to the dominant grappling display from the “Bullet” inside the Sphere.

Read also: Noche UFC 306: Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili Live Results & Highlights

Continue Reading ‘Valentina Dvalishvili’ – MMA Fighters & Fans React To Shevchenko’s Total Domination Over Alexa Grasso At UFC 306 at MMA News.