LAS VEGAS — The culmination of the first trilogy in UFC women’s history took place on Saturday, and Valentina Shevchenko emerged victorious.
Shevchenko (24-4-1) regained her flyweight title by defeating Alexa Grasso (16-4-1) via unanimous decision at UFC 306 held at Sphere. This matchup marked their third consecutive title fight, following a series that began in March 2023. Grasso previously claimed the title from Shevchenko in their first encounter, which was a notable upset, and the second bout ended in a majority draw one year later.
The final battle proved to be surprisingly decisive. At 35, Shevchenko implemented a grappling-focused strategy, taking Grasso down in each of the five rounds and earning unanimous scores of 50-45.
UFC Stats indicated that Grasso landed only 18 significant strikes during the fight, while Shevchenko maintained over 16 minutes of control on the ground throughout the 25 minutes of competition.
“It’s a dream come true fighting in the Sphere,” Shevchenko stated. “Everything about this fight was more satisfying than the last one. The game plan was to go in there and fight to the end.”
Shevchenko’s victory served as a form of redemption, especially since she believed she won the previous rematch in September 2023. The controversial majority draw resulted from one judge scoring the final round a 10-8 for Grasso, which led to heated debates regarding the dominance of that round.
Shevchenko decisively neutralized Grasso’s offense, effectively striking from a distance before executing well-timed takedowns. Grasso managed to defend against four of 12 takedown attempts and faced challenges in getting back to her feet. Although she attempted several submissions from her back, including a tight guillotine in the fourth round, none were successful.
Despite occasional booing from the crowd during the co-main event due to the pace, Shevchenko’s spirit remained high. She appeared emotional as the fight concluded, having held the 125-pound title for nearly four years before Grasso took it in 2022.
Originally hailing from Kyrgyzstan, Shevchenko is recognized as one of the greatest fighters in history. She had never faced back-to-back losses in MMA until the majority draw with Grasso. Looking ahead, she is expected to face French No. 1 contender Manon Fiorot in her next title defense.