Alexa Grasso, Valentina Shevchenko rematch set for September

Alexa Grasso, Valentina Shevchenko rematch set for September

The UFC has officially announced that Valentina Shevchenko will be given an immediate rematch against Alexa Grasso. The pair will fight for UFC women’s flyweight title on Sept. 16, Mexican Independence Day, at T-Moblie Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. Dana White made the bout official in a live announcement Thursday.

BOOOOOM!!!!!

September 16th Mexican Independence Day #GunnyHighway pic.twitter.com/R5zQsLeHVu

— danawhite (@danawhite) June 29, 2023

At UFC 285, Grasso defeated Shevchenko with a rear-naked choke in round four to steal the women’s flyweight title and end Shevchenko’s historic title reign. Shevchenko is now getting an opportunity to right that wrong and reclaim her position as the best women’s flyweight alive.

Grasso’s title win made her the third Mexican-born UFC champion. That accomplishment has given her the opportunity to headline a UFC card on Mexican Independence Day.

This bout will serve as a Fight Night headliner, not a pay-per-view. This is for several reasons. The UFC already has UFC 293 scheduled for the week prior. It is incredibly rare that the UFC has pay-per-view events on back-to-back weeks. It is also not abnormal for title fights to occur on a Fight Night card. Most recently, Deiveson Figueiredo and Joseph Benavidez complete two fights on Fight Night events.

The first bout between Grasso and Shevchenko was highly competitive. Grasso found a lot of success in boxing while Shevchenko landed several takedowns. Ultimately, Grasso was able to take Shevchenko’s back after the former champion threw a spinning kick to the body. As the pair prepare for the rematch each fighter will have areas they need to improve.

Who will fight for the vacant UFC women’s bantamweight title?

The UFC Mexican Independence Day card has not been fully put together, but a handful of fights have been announced. The co-main event will feature Kelvin Gastelum’s re-entry to the welterweight division against Shavkat Rakhmonov. The UFC has also booked bouts between Chris Curtis and Anthony Hernandez as well as Lupita Godinez and Sam Hughes.

As the UFC fills out the remainder of the fight card, they have plenty of Mexican talent that can help create an outstanding Fight Night card. A main event between Grasso and Shevchenko is a great start.

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