After 7 consecutive times of successfully defending the UFC championship, Valentina Shevchenko seemed to have an easy match against Alexa Grasso. But the script no one dared to think of it. GRASSO won with a lock in the fourth half, thereby becoming a new champion of the weight of Flyweight.
Recalling the defeat of Grasso, Shevchenko said she had failed because of silly mistakes. The former UFC champion was locked by the opponent in the scene of winning. “I definitely want to rematch immediately, because I know I was the one who won the game before making a mistake,” Shevchenko added.
From the dominance, Shevchenko suddenly lost because he launched the unwanted rotation at the beginning of the fourth half. Taking advantage of the opportunity when Shevchenko left the back, Grasso immediately grabbed the opponent to clamp his neck. Shevchenko tried her best to escape the lock but failed. She had to tap out in a bruising face because she was tightened.
In the previous 3 rounds, the battle was in favor of Shevchenko as she said. GRASSO won the first half thanks to the skill of fighting and heavy punches. To counter the opponent, Shevchenko approached the opponent and used locks. That helped her win the second and 3rd rounds.
Shevchenko's defeat was very similar to the defeat that Amanda Nunes encountered in late 2021. In the match against Julianna Pena, Nunes seemed to be easy to protect the belt successfully, but she suddenly received a defeat because of the enemy clamping the second half.