When UFC women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko complete a trilogy later this year, it should be the last time they meet. After that? Both fighters expect to welcome new challengers.
That, of course, will depend on the result of their Sept. 14 showdown at the Sphere in Las Vegas, which could headline UFC 306. The fight will take place on the heels of Grasso and Shevchenko coaching this season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which filmed earlier this year and premiered this past Tuesday on ESPN and ESPN+.
In two previous encounters, Grasso (16-3-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) scored an all-time upset when she claimed the title from Shevchenko (23-4-1 MMA, 12-3-1 UFC) with a fourth-round submission in March 2023 at UFC 285. Six months later, the two fought to a hotly debated split draw in their rematch at Noche UFC. Short of a clear winner in the trilogy, this should be it for Grasso and Shevchenko, who both look forward to new blood in the form of top contender Manon Fiorot or the winner of next month’s Maycee Barber vs. Rose Namajunas main event at UFC Fight Night in Denver. Erin Blanchfield could also be in the mix despite losing to Fiorot in March, depending on timing and circumstances.
