Alexa Grasso Retains UFC Women’s Flyweight Title Following Split Draw Against Valentina Shevchenko

Alexa Grasso is keep her title…

The 30-year-old Mexican professional mixed martial artist fought to a split draw (48-47, 47-48, 47-47) against Valentina Shevchenko on Saturday night in the main event of Noche UFC at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Alexa Grasso,Because of the result, Grasso retained the UFC women’s flyweight title.

Grasso and Shevchenko “Draw — it’s not a loss,” Shevchenko said. “But in my case, it’s not a victory.”

Saturday’s bout was an immediate rematch after Grasso beat Shevchenko to win the belt six months ago.

The fight went back and forth. Grasso dropped Shevchenko in the second round. Shevchenko nearly finished Grasso in the third round with a mounted guillotine choke. It ended with Grasso on Shevchenko’s back landing punches.

The card was UFC’s first celebration of Mexican Independence Day. The heavily Mexican and Mexican American crowd booed Shevchenko and the result of the bout. Grasso said she thought she won the fight three rounds to two.

“It was my first main, main event on such an amazing date in Las Vegas,” Grasso said. “I always wanted to fight on this date. I’m truly happy with my performance.”

Grasso won the first fight via fourth-round submission (rear-naked choke) to take the title at UFC 285 in March. She became the first Mexican-born female fighter to win a UFC championship.

In her postfight interview in the Octagon, Grasso was noncommittal about another rematch. At the news conference later on, she said it would be up to UFC on what’s next.

“I wouldn’t like to stop the division,” Grasso said. “But whatever the UFC says, I’m in.”

Shevchenko said she thought she was the rightful winner but that the judges “felt pressure” because it was Mexican Independence Day.

“I was expecting a battle,” Shevchenko said. “I fought until the end, and I think I did enough.”

Shevchenko said she broke her thumb in the first round and didn’t want to commit to a rematch until she is fully healed from the injury.

“I don’t want to perform at 50 percent,” Shevchenko said. “I want it 100. Right now, I don’t know what is going to be next, who is going to be next. But I am here. This performance tonight, I showed that I have much more forward to go.”

Judge Mike Bell had Grasso winning the fifth round 10-8, which led to the draw. He had Shevchenko winning the first, third and fourth rounds and Grasso winning the second and fifth. Judge Junichiro Kamijo had Grasso winning, with victories in the second, fourth and fifth rounds. Judge Sal D’Amato had Shevchenko winning, with victories in the first, third and fourth rounds.

“I fought with all my heart, with all my soul,” Shevchenko said. “The other side, it’s my frustration. I think three rounds I won. Two rounds maybe was her. I feel the 10-8 in the fifth round was completely unfair.”

Grasso outlanded Shevchenko 64-57 in significant strikes and 219-158 in total strikes, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Shevchenko landed four of six takedown attempts and had 8 minutes, 37 seconds of control time.

Coming in, ESPN had Shevchenko ranked No. 2 and Grasso at No. 3 in its women’s pound-for-pound rankings.

Grasso (16-3-1) is unbeaten in six straight fights, all since moving up to flyweight from strawweight. The Guadalajara native has an 8-3-1 record in UFC. She was the first UFC champion to have trained primarily in Mexico, doing her camps in her hometown at Lobo Gym led by her coach and uncle Francisco “Pancho” Grasso.

Shevchenko (23-4-1) had a nine-fight winning streak snapped by Grasso in their previous match. The Kyrgyzstan native, who spent many years living and training in Peru, did most of her training camp in Thailand. Shevchenko, 35, had seven successful title defenses as women’s flyweight champion, the most consecutive title defenses by any woman in UFC history as well as the most in one division by any woman. “Bullet” has the most title wins in UFC women’s flyweight history at eight.

Junior dos Santos Defeats Fabricio Werdum in Main Event of Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA

Junior dos Santos is one step closer to an MMA heavyweight title fight…

In a fight featuring two former UFC heavyweight champions, the 39-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist and professional wrestler opened up bad cuts near both of Fabricio Werdum‘s eyes en route to a split-decision win (28-29, 30-27, 30-27) in the main event of Jorge Masvidal‘s Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA on Friday night in Jacksonville, Florida.

Junior dos SantosThe cut on Werdum’s left eyelid was bleeding badly by the third round. Dos Santos rocked Werdum briefly late in the first round. Other than that, he didn’t hit Werdum extremely hard. But without gloves, it was enough to do facial damage.

Dos Santos picked up the first victory of his career in any combat sport since 2019. Dos Santos and Werdum fought in 2008 in UFC, with Dos Santos winning by first-round TKO. The win over Werdum on Friday set up a future matchup between Dos Santos and another UFC veteran, Roy Nelson, for the Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA heavyweight title.

“They were the bump in my career that I needed this day,” Dos Santos said of Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA. “I’m thankful for this whole thing.”

Dos Santos (22-10) had lost five straight coming in. Most recently, in his first bout since being released from UFC, he lost by TKO to Yorgan De Castro in May 2022 because of a shoulder injury.

A Brazilian-born fighter who trains out of American Top Team in Florida, Dos Santos held the UFC heavyweight title in 2011 and 2012 and still owns the record for longest winning streak in division history (9).

Werdum (24-10-1) had not fought since a no-contest against Renan Ferreira in May 2021 under the PFL banner. The Brazilian-born fighter, who lives and trains in California, beat Alexander Gustafsson in his final UFC fight three years ago.

Werdum, 46, held the UFC heavyweight title from 2014 to 2016 and is considered one of the best submission artists in the history of heavyweight MMA.

Raul Rosas Jr. to Fight During Noche UFC, UFC’s Mexican Independence Day Show in Las Vegas

Raul Rosas Jr. will be heading to the Octagon next month.

The 18-year-old Mexican American mixed martial artist, who was the youngest fighter signed to the UFC last year at 17 years old, will attempt to get back on track at the UFC‘s Mexican Independence Day show.

Raul Rosas Jr.Rosas Jr., a bantamweight, will face Terrence Mitchell at Noche UFC on September 16 in Las Vegas, according to ESPN.

ESPN DeportesCarlos Contreras Legaspi first reported the bout set for Noche UFC, which is a larger-sized UFC Fight Night card in celebration of the Mexican holiday at T-Mobile Arena.

Rosas Jr. (7-1) earned his way into the promotion from Dana White‘s Contender Series. Rosas Jr. won his UFC debut at UFC 282 in December but then fell to Christian Rodriguez via unanimous decision at UFC 287 in April.

Mitchell (14-3), a 33-year-old from Alaska who competed on “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2016, lost in his UFC debut to Cameron Saaiman by first-round TKO at UFC 290 last month.

Vicente Luque Defeats Rafael dos Anjos in First Fight Since Brain Bleed

Vicente Luque has made a triumphant return to the Octagon

The 31-year-old Brazilian-Chilean professional mixed martial artist pulled out his first victory since suffering a brain hemorrhage in a knockout loss in 2022.

Vicente LuqueLuque defeated Rafael dos Anjos via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) in the welterweight main event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. Luque smartly used strategic grappling, wrestling and clinching against the cage to outwork dos Anjos, the former UFC lightweight champion.

“I came back stronger than ever,” Luque said in his postfight interview. “I beat a former champion in his game.”

On August 6, 2022, Luque was knocked out by Geoff Neal and was later diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage. The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) needed extra medical documentation in order for Luque to be cleared to compete. He was licensed two weeks ago.

“For me, it’s a miracle to be here,” Luque said. “A lot of people know what happened to me a year ago. I never feared anything, but I feared not being able to do this again.”

Coming in, ESPN had dos Anjos ranked No. 10 in the world at lightweight. He made his return to welterweight in his last bout.

dos Anjos had success early, landing some hard straight left hands from the southpaw stance and a big Superman elbow. Luque was able to recover, counter a takedown attempt and land some hard ground-and-pound while dos Anjos was on his hands and knees.

Luque’s grappling and wrestling success continued throughout the fight, so much so that dos Anjos’ corner removed the fighter’s ankle sleeves after the third round because they felt Luque was using them to take dos Anjos down. Luque was active with submission attempts throughout and bloodied dos Anjos with punches, too.

“In the first round, I was afraid of getting hit,” Luque said. “It had been a year without fighting. I didn’t know how I would react.”

Luque landed a career-high eight takedowns, the second-most dos Anjos had allowed. Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, a high-level wrestler, had 12 against dos Anjos in 2018.

Luque (22-9-1) snapped a two-fight losing streak. The Brazilian-Chilean fighter, who trains out of Florida, has won five of seven overall. Luque said he hopes to now be back in the title mix. He was +500 to win via decision, according to Caesars Sportsbook.

Dos Anjos (32-15) beat Bryan Barberena in his welterweight return last December via second-round submission. The Brazilian-born fighter had won three of his past four bouts. Dos Anjos, 38, held the UFC lightweight title in 2015 and 2016.

Charles Oliveira to Fight UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev in Highly Anticipated Rematch

Charles Oliveira is hoping to return to the champion’s circle…

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev will defend his belt against the 33-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and 3rd degree black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, a former UFC lightweight champion.

Charles OliveiraThe rematch between Oliveira and Makhachev will be the main event of UFC 294 on October 21 in Abu Dhabi, UFC president Dana White revealed.

ESPN has Makhachev ranked No. 2 in the world pound-for-pound and Oliveira at No. 6. The two fought last October at UFC 280 with Makhachev submitting Oliveira in the second round to win the then-vacant UFC lightweight title.

Makhachev (24-1) is coming off a unanimous-decision win over featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 back in February. The Dagestan native has won 12 straight fights, all in the UFC.

Makhachev, 31, is the longtime training partner and student of former longtime lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Oliveira (34-9, 1 NC) beat Beneil Dariush via first-round TKO at UFC 289 last month to set up the rematch. The Brazilian-born fighter won the lightweight title in May 2021, beating Michael Chandler. But he missed weight in May 2022 before a fight with Justin Gaethje and was stripped of the belt.

Oliveira has the most finishes (20) and submission wins (16) in UFC history.

There had been speculation that Makhachev could face Volkanovski in an immediate rematch following Volkanovski’s dominant title defense against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290 on July 8. But Oliveira had been the UFC’s top choice for this fight after running through Dariush last month.

Jawy Mendez Signs MMA Contract with Combate Global

Jawy Mendez is ready for combat(e)…

The 33-year-old Mexican reality show star and recording artist has signed with Combate Global to compete as a pro mixed martial arts fighter, the promotion has announced.

Jawy MendezHis debut will be on August 5 against Johan Rodriguez.

Mendez, was a member of the cast of Mexico’s Acapulco Shore reality show — a takeoff on Jersey Shore — for nine seasons. He’ll be on another reality series, Hotel de Los Famosos, which airs on one of Mexico’s biggest networks, Televisa Canal 5, for its next season.

Mendez, who has more than 3 million followers on Instagram, has been training in MMA for two years, since opening up his Crew Wellness Club Mexico in Mexico City. He trains with MMA veterans Alfredo Morales and Carlos Enrique Cañada.

His bout against Rodriguez, a Colombian fighter also making his pro debut, is contracted for a 176-pound catchweight.

MMA has been red-hot in Mexico with three Mexican-born fighters winning UFC titles in 2023. Combate Global, which draws strong television ratings in the U.S. on Univision, has been focused on Latin American talent, specifically fighters from Mexico, and the Spanish-speaking audience since 2011 under UFC co-creator Campbell McLaren.

Alexandre Pantoja Defeats Brandon Moreno via Split Decision to Claim UFC Flyweight Belt

Alexandre Pantoja is officially a titleholder…

After five hard-fought rounds, the 33-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist (26-5) claimed Brandon Moreno‘s 125-pound championship, as he narrowly edged the defending champion via split decision in the co-main event of UFC 290 inside T-Mobile Arena.

Alexandre PantojaTwo of the judges scored the title fight 48-47 for Pantoja, while a third had it 49-46 in Moreno’s favor.

UFC president Dana White said afterward that Moreno suffered a broken hand in the first round.

Saturday’s bout officially marked Pantoja’s second win over Moreno (21-7-2), although it’s really his third.

Pantoja submitted Moreno in a bout on The Ultimate Fighter reality show in 2016, but that result didn’t count toward their professional records as it took place as part of the show. They fought again in 2018, with Pantoja claiming a unanimous decision.

Saturday’s contest was the closest and most skilled to date.

“Moreno evolved so much,” Pantoja said. “I don’t expect a tough guy like that tonight, but I worked so hard for this. The last two years, I worked so hard, bringing my family to the U.S. [from Brazil] and my camp to American Top Team. … Guys, if you know my story, you’re gonna love me. I’ve worked so hard for that.”

The final numbers of the fight reflected just how close it was. According to UFC Stats, Moreno slightly outlanded Pantoja 167-161 in total strikes. Pantoja did better work on the ground, however. He took Moreno’s back multiple times and racked up more than eight minutes of control time. Moreno proved to be very tricky to hold down, but Pantoja maintained slightly dominant positions in crucial moments, which might have proved key on the scorecards.

Pantoja also dropped Moreno in the opening round with a nasty left hook. Moreno, 29, recovered quickly and never appeared close to going out, but Pantoja hurt him again with another left hook later in the round. Moreno roared back in the second round behind arguably one of the best jabs in MMA. He doubled and tripled up the jab on Pantoja, occasionally ripping in left hooks to the body and head.

Moreno’s shots bloodied Pantoja’s forehead and nose by the third round, but Pantoja’s takedowns, work in the clinch and body shots of his own all made for strong answers to Moreno’s offense. The pace of the fight finally slowed a little in the fourth and fifth rounds when Pantoja worked his way into threatening grappling positions and Moreno was forced into a bit of caution.

The victory snaps a two-fight streak in title fights for Moreno, who is from Tijuana, Mexico.

Earlier this year, he closed out a very rare four-fight rivalry against another Brazilian in Deiveson Figueiredo. Moreno unified the flyweight belt by finishing Figueiredo in the third round of their final meeting in January, but now surrenders the belt in his first attempted defense.

Pedro Munhoz to Fight Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera at UFC 292

Pedro Munhoz is stepping in…

The 36-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist, a perennial top-10 bantamweight, will face Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera at UFC 292 on August 19, after Vera’s original opponent, Henry Cejudo, withdrew from the bout due to injury.

Pedro MunhozVera (22-8-1) was supposed to face Cejudo in the co-main event of UFC 292, but Cejudo withdrew shortly after the bout was agreed to because of a shoulder injury.

Vera’s management team announced the new pairing via social media on Friday.

Munhoz (20-7) has floated amongst the UFC bantamweight rankings for years, although he’s only 2-4 in his last six outings. All four losses, however, came against current or former UFC champs in Aljamain SterlingFrankie EdgarJose Aldo and Dominick Cruz.

Fighting out of American Top Team, Munhoz is coming off a much-needed upset over Chris Gutierrez in April.

Vera, of Ecuador, will look to rebound from a split-decision loss to Cory Sandhagen in March. Sterling, the defending bantamweight champ, is slated to headline the UFC 292 pay-per-view event against Sean O’Malley.

The event will take place inside TD Garden.

Anderson Silva Inducted into UFC Hall of Fame

Anderson Silva has been immortalized by UFC.

The 48-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist and boxer has been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

Anderson SilvaBut he’s not the only legendary fighter in the Hall.

Jose Aldo, who also helped build the popularity of MMA in Brazil, was among the honorees celebrated this week at T-Mobile Arena

Silva and Aldo headlined a star-studded class that included fan favorite Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, lighter weight MMA pioneer Jens Pulver and a classic, knockdown, drag-out fight between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald from 2015.

Silva, is on the short list of the best fighters ever. “The Spider” still holds the UFC record of 16 straight victories and has the second-most consecutive title defenses (10, behind Jon Jones and Demetrious Johnson at 11). Silva had the longest title reign in UFC history, holding the middleweight championship for 2,457 days. He did it all with flair, too. Silva, a flashy striker, has the most finishes (nine), knockouts (seven) and knockdowns (10) in UFC title fights.

Silva did not attend the ceremony Thursday because of “scheduling issues,” according to his son Kalyl, who accepted on his behalf. Silva posted an Instagram video in Portuguese thanking his team, family and fans.

“They’re both icons,” Kalyl told ESPN of Aldo and his father. “Jose Aldo, ‘The King of Rio,’ and Anderson Silva in the same class is just perfect. It couldn’t have been written any better.”

Aldo’s accolades are nearly as impressive. He is the most decorated featherweight fighter in MMA history. Aldo, 36, had a combined nine successful title defenses in the UFC and WEC, which was eventually purchased and absorbed into the UFC. He was the youngest champion in WEC history at 23 years old. He even moved down to bantamweight late in his career and had a solid run there, too, falling to Petr Yan in a vacant title fight in 2020.

“It’s very emotional, very hard to explain,” Aldo told ESPN’s C. Contreras Legaspi via an interpreter. “Ever since I wanted to come to the UFC, [I wanted to] be a champion, and I got so much more. So, this is a lot of dreams coming through at the same time.”

Cerrone has the most fights (48) and most wins (29) in Zuffa history (between UFC, WEC, Strikeforce and Pride). But he was most known for being an action fighter and taking fights when the UFC needed him.

“It’s just cool that I got recognized for answering the call every time they called,” Cerrone told ESPN. “And that was my job. When they said, ‘We got a guy,’ then I’m your man, let’s go. And I never turned down a fight, never backing down and just fighting until I couldn’t fight anymore. And that’s what I wanted. That was my legacy. I wanted [people to say], ‘Cowboy’ is fighting? Oh, we got to find a bar. We got to pull the car over. We got to figure it out.’ And I think I succeeded.”

Pulver, 48, was the first UFC lightweight champion, winning the belt in 2001 when the 155-pound division was called “bantamweight” and successfully defending it against the likes of BJ Penn. The UFC later abolished that weight class, and it didn’t resurface for five years. Pulver, who was undersized for even that weight class, would go on to have success in Japan before returning to the UFC and then WEC at 145 pounds.

“I battled, for a long time, with anxiety and depression,” Pulver said in a moving speech. “And I learned, never close the door on the person you’re going to be in five years. Because time is different. Those problems, those memories will change. If you’re busy growing your world, those problems will get a lot stronger. Never close the door and do something drastic. I love you, believe me. I love all of you. I love you very much.”

The contributions of lighter weight fighters like him early on helped create opportunities for others such as Conor McGregor, who would go on to become the biggest star in the history of the sport fighting at 145 and 155 pounds.

Also on Thursday, the Nogueira brothers, Antonio Rodrigo and Antonio Rogerio, were named the 2023 recipients of the Forrest Griffin Community Award, which recognizes contributions in volunteer and charity work. The brothers are legends of Brazilian MMA and mentors for Silva and others.

Junior dos Santos to Fight Fabricio Werdum in Bareknuckle MMA Fight This September

Junior dos Santos is preparing to go the knuckle

The 39-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, a former UF heavyweight champion, will face compatriot Fabricio Werdum in bareknuckle mixed martial arts fight on September 8 in Jacksonville, Florida under the banner of Jorge Masvidal‘s Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA.

Junior Dos Santosdos Santos and Werdum, two of the top UFC heavyweights of their generation will meet in a highly anticipated rematch.

dos Santos and Werdum first met in the UFC in 2008 with dos Santos winning by first-round knockout.

MMA journalist Ariel Helwani was the first to report the news as official Friday.

dos Santos’ coach Conan Silveira first mentioned the fight in an interview with Sherdog earlier this month.

dos Santos last fought in May 2022 for Eagle FC, losing via TKO due to a shoulder injury. He departed the UFC in 2020. “Cigano” was the UFC heavyweight champion in 2011 and 2012.

Werdum, 45, was UFC heavyweight champion in 2015 and 2016. He ended legend Fedor Emelianenko‘s decade-long unbeaten streak under the Strikeforce banner in 2010 and is considered one of the best heavyweight grapplers ever. “Vai Cavalo” has not fought since a run with PFL in 2021.