Alexa Grasso vs Valentina Shevchenko Full Fight – UFC 285

At UFC 285 on March 4, 2023, Alexa Grasso pulled off one of the biggest upsets in MMA history by defeating Valentina Shevchenko via fourth-round submission to capture the UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship. Entering the bout as a massive underdog against the dominant, long-reigning champion, Grasso became the first Mexican-born female champion in UFC history by capitalising on a critical mistake late in the fight.

Here is the round-by-round breakdown of how the historic fight played out:

Grasso set a high pace early, keeping her guard tight and finding immediate success with her boxing. She out-landed Shevchenko in significant strikes during the opening frame and shook the champion with a sharp jab-cross combination. Shevchenko responded by testing Grasso’s range with heavy body kicks and managed to land a well-timed takedown toward the end of the round, keeping the frame highly competitive. [1, 4, 5]

Seeing Grasso’s sharp striking on the feet, Shevchenko adjusted her strategy and heavily relied on her wrestling. She easily secured an early takedown and controlled Grasso on the canvas for a significant portion of the round. Though Grasso stayed active off her back and utilized the fence to eventually return to her feet, Shevchenko clearly won the round with 12 of her 22 significant strikes landing alongside heavy top-control time. [2, 4, 6]

The third round followed a similar pattern to the second. Shevchenko utilized her elite grappling and clinch work to dictate where the fight took place. She secured multiple takedowns and racked up over five minutes of total control time across the bout. Grasso struggled to generate meaningful offense on the feet as Shevchenko out-struck her 27 to 15 in this round, putting the champion ahead on the judges’ scorecards going into the championship rounds. [2, 3, 6, 7]

Knowing she was likely behind on the scorecards, Grasso remained disciplined and looked for an opening. Late in the fourth round, Shevchenko threw a spinning back kick. Grasso, having anticipated the maneuver from tape study, immediately dodged the strike and seamlessly jumped onto Shevchenko’s back before the champion could reset her stance. [1, 3, 8]

Grasso instantly locked in a deep rear-naked choke (often described as a face crank due to the angle). Shevchenko attempted to fight it off, but Grasso squeezed tightly, forcing the champion to tap out at 4:34 of Round 4. [6, 8, 9]

• The Finish: Submission via Rear-Naked Choke (4:34, Round 4)
• Significance: This marked the very first time Valentina Shevchenko had ever been finished in her professional UFC career. It snapped her historic 9-fight winning streak and ended her four-year reign over the flyweight division.