Alexa Grasso remains an unproven commodity when it comes to staying power.
The Lobo Gym standout will defend the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s flyweight crown when she rematches Valentina Shevchenko in the UFC Fight Night 227 headliner on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Neither woman has fought since their first meeting, which saw Grasso unseat “Bullet” in a stunning fourth-round submission via face crank at UFC 285 in March. The loss was Shevchenko’s first in more than five years and closed the book on her nine-fight winning streak. Grasso, meanwhile, enters the sequel on the strength of five straight victories, her record inside the Octagon now a healthy 8-3.
As Grasso and Shevchenko make final preparations for their high-stakes showdown, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:
30: Years of age for Grasso, who was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Aug. 9, 1993.
4: Grasso wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 25% of her career total (16). Her list of victims: Alida Gray, Alejandra Alvarez, Lupita Hernandez and Sandra del Rincon. Grasso owns two other wins by submission (12%) and 10 more by decision (63%).
100,000: Dollars in post-fight bonuses banked by Grasso across her 11 appearances in the UFC. She has been awarded “Performance of the Night” once and “Fight of the Night” once.
48: Rounds started by Grasso as a professional mixed martial artist. She has gone the distance on 12 different occasions and carries a 10-2 record in those bouts.
43: Combined victories between the three opponents—Carla Esparza, Tatiana Suarez and Felice Herrig—who have beaten Grasso. They boast a cumulative .717 winning percentage at 43-17.
35: Years of age for Shevchenko, who was born on March 7, 1988 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
7: Shevchenko victories by submission, accounting for 30% of her career total (23). Her methods of choice: four rear-naked chokes, two armbars and one Ezekiel choke. Shevchenko holds eight other victories by knockout or technical knockout (35%) and seven more by decision (30%).
1,547: Days spent by Shevchenko as undisputed UFC women’s flyweight champion. She captured the 125-pound crown with a five-round unanimous decision over Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 231 on Dec. 8, 2018 and made seven successful title defenses before surrendering it to Grasso.
28: Significant strikes by which Shevchenko outlanded Grasso in their first encounter. She connected on 87 such strikes while absorbing only 59 in return. Shevchenko also completed four takedowns and piled up 5:24 of control time, all of it for naught.
.795: Cumulative winning percentage between the three opponents—Grasso, Amanda Nunes (twice) and Liz Carmouche—who have defeated Shevchenko. They sport a combined record of 58-15.
More must-reads: