Breaking: Dana White Confirms Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso Trilogy Rematch
UFC CEO Dana White recently confirmed that Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso will face off again in a trilogy fight. White also expressed his utter dismay at the controversial outcome of their fight last weekend, slamming the referee for it.
Shevchenko went up against Grasso at Noche UFC in an attempt to reclaim the women’s flyweight title. The two mercurial fighters went back and forth for five rounds in one of the most thrilling fights of 2023. In an evenly matched contest, both had their moments throughout the 25 minutes, with Grasso notably finishing the fight strong.
However, neither fighter got their hand raised in the end, thanks to the judges’ scorecards delivering a split decision result. This was due to each contender winning a 48-47 score, with a third 47-47 tie. The final 47-47 scorecard was because Judge Mike Bell scored three 10-9 rounds for Shevchenko and gave Grasso a 10-9 along with a 10-8 for the final round. His scoring in the final round caused widespread controversy as many failed to understand how Grasso could’ve possibly deserved a 10-8 score.
In the aftermath, many called for a trilogy between Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso to settle the rivalry. Given the razor-sharp nature of their last meeting, even the UFC couldn’t disagree with that sentiment.
During a post-fight presser after Dana White’s Contender Series 63, the UFC CEO confirmed that the promotion was looking to book another rematch. He firmly claimed that the trilogy must happen, and the UFC will be re-booking the fight. He added that it was the “right thing to do” and lambasted Mike Bell for his outrageous scoring.
Dana White revealed that he was on vacation when the fight went down. He added that he was flabbergasted to find out the final round had been scored 10-8 and demanded that Mike Bell be investigated. Dana White said that was potentially the worst judging he had ever seen in the UFC.
