Dana White: Alexa Grasso, Valentina Shevchenko Trilogy ‘needs to happen’
The Noche UFC main event between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko ended in an anti-climatic fashion as the bout was ruled a draw. It looks like the fight will be booked for a third time as UFC CEO Dana White has stated the bout ‘needs to happen’.
White expressed his opinion on the bout during his Dana White’s Contender Series Season 7, Week 7 post-fight press conference. All quotes via The Score.
“You have to do the rematch,” White said, according to MMA Junkie’s Danny Segura and Ken Hathaway. “We will rematch them. It’s the right thing to do. It’s the fight that needs to happen.”
Grasso and Shevchenko’s UFC Noche draw ended in controversy as judge Mike Bell scored the fifth round a 10-8 for Grasso. That led to his scorecard being 47-47. If Bell scored the contest a 10-9 for Grasso, Shevchenko would have won. The other two judges were split as Sal D’amato scored the bout for Shevchenko while Junichiro Kamijo scored the bout for Grasso.
The combination of the draw and the controversy behind it makes it a bout that is ripe for a trilogy.
“I was on vacation when this thing happened,” White said. “When I found out one of the judges scored it 10-8, this guy should be f—–g investigated for this. This is the craziest s–t I’ve ever seen in my life.
The Grasso and Shevchenko storyline now has an added layer. Originally, Grasso defeated Shevchenko in an all-time great upset. A draw in a wild title bout just makes this series more interesting. The controversy certainly adds fuel to the fire too.
White also added that it would make sense to match Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot against one another. The Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko trilogy puts Blanchfield and Fiorot in a poor position. The pair both deserve a title shot, but they will not get one anytime soon. Now, they will be forced to fight one another.
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