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.