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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Danny Segura

‘Si se puede’: Alexa Grasso’s historic UFC 285 title win was inspired by rise of Mexican MMA

Alexa Grasso was well aware she was fighting for more than a UFC championship belt this past Saturday.

When she set foot in the octagon at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to challenge Valentina Shevchenko for the UFC women’s flyweight title, Grasso (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) knew her legacy was at stake, and on a bigger scale, the legacy of an entire country.

Mexican fighters in the world of boxing have long dominated and claimed their piece of history in the sport. But in MMA, that’s an entire different story. For many years, Mexico-born fighters had no presence in the world’s biggest stage for MMA – the UFC. However, that is now changing.

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