grasso squeezes her way to the flyweight title

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LAS VEGAS, NV (PSF) - Nothing lasts forever in the UFC. Alexa Grasso made sure of that, taking the belt from Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko in UFC 285 with a stunning submission late in the fourth round. Grasso got a rear naked chokehold on Valentina after a badly timed spinning backhand and it turned out to be the fatal mistake. At the outset of the fight, we watched Shevchenko methodically work her game, landing jabs in between the guards of Grasso, as well as taking Alexa to the mat rather easily. Valentina was doing her normal thing, timing her opponent and taking advantage of mistakes and openings shown by Grasso. That was round one and two.

Grasso has great boxing skills and Valentina was having a tough time putting her away. Some of the exchanges between the fighters showed Grasso not being fazed by the Shevchenko punches. The fourth round began the same, until a frustrated Shevchenko made the biggest mistake of her championship career, attempting that spinning backhand that whiffed. The poor execution of the wild punch and the ring location, allowed Alexa to secure the lock under Valentina’s neck. With less than a minute to go in the round, the champ would tap out. The flyweight crown goes to Alexa Grasso, shaking up the division and proving that nothing last forever.