In 2021, Brandon Moreno made history when he became the first-ever Mexican-born champion in the UFC. Following his footsteps, Alexa Grasso also etched her name in the history books 2 years later when she dethroned Valentina Shevchenko from her flyweight throne and became the first-ever Mexican UFC women’s champion!

A native of Guadalajara, the 31-year-old made her name in Invicta FC before getting a call to bring her talents to Octagon. She made her UFC debut in 2016 and has since become one of the most exciting fighters in the promotion. However, the road to championship glory has also seen her stumble a few times. Let’s dive in and explore all the setbacks on Alexa Grasso’s  16-3-1 MMA record!

Alexa Grasso’s 3 losses in the UFC: How did they happen?

Alexa Grasso’s record before joining the UFC was spotless as she went undefeated from 2012 to 2016. Her UFC debut came against Heather Jo Clark at the TUF Latin America 3 Finale, where she announced her arrival with a unanimous decision victory over her opponent. Her debut was impressive and drew a lot of attention, but what happened next?

In her second fight things took a turn for the worse. Taking on Felice Herrig at UFC Fight Night 104 in 2017, Grasso lost the fight via a unanimous decision. This was also her first defeat in her professional career. However, she responded to this setback with a split-decision victory over Randa Markos in August of 2017. And this is where she ran into Tatiana Suarez.

Suarez, a multi-time medalist in women’s freestyle wrestling and a gold medalist at the Pan American Championships utilized her grappling skills to abolish Grasso’s game plan. In the first round, she locked in a rear-naked choke and Grasso suffered her second loss in the promotion.

A resilient Grasso turned things around in her next fight against Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC 238 with a unanimous decision victory. After that, the Mexican fighter stepped into the Octagon to take on Carla Esparza at UFC Fight Night 159. While the fight was an action-packed affair that won ‘Fight of the Night’ honors, it was only a consolation for Grasso who lost the bout via a majority decision.

She then moved up to flyweight after a weight miss led to her fight against Claudia Gadelha at UFC 246 being nixed due to Grasso being unable to make the strawweight limit. This was the turning point in her career as she has not lost a fight at flyweight yet, and only Valentina Shevchenko has been able to secure a draw against the Mexican champion!

Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko II: The only ‘draw’ on her record

At UFC 285, Alexa Grasso shocked the world when she submitted Valentina Shevchenko in the fourth round of their fight. Coming into the bout, Grasso was a huge underdog against the dominant ‘Bullet’ who looked virtually unstoppable.

The pair faced off again in a rematch at the first ever ‘Noche UFC’ in September 2023 where they battled for 5 rounds. When the scores were read, Grasso retained the flyweight title via a split draw that drew a frenzy in the MMA sphere. The score of 48-47, 48-47, and 47-47 didn’t sit well with ‘Bullet’ as in the post-fight press conference she stated, “Unfortunately, I think this event because it’s Mexican Independence Day, that’s why it affected the decision of the judge to give 10-8 in the fifth round…”

Now, the two are set to throw down for a decisive trilogy bout set to be held at ‘The Sphere’ in Las Vegas for UFC 306 or ‘Riyadh Season Noche UFC’. Will we see Alexa Grasso retain her title with a clean win this time around? Or will a determined Shevchenko take back her title and end Grasso’s run atop the division? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!