Gutted by Split Draw Against Alexa Grasso, Injured Valentina Shevchenko Spills the Beans on Her Career Roadmap After UFC Noche – “I’m Not Gonna”

It is rare that a fight that is packed with high-octane action right from the get-go, ends up being a draw. While it speaks volumes about both fighters, there is a bit of a catch when it comes to championship fights. In case of a draw, the champion retains the title. That is precisely what happened at the UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas on 16th September.

UFC Women’s Flyweight fighter Valentina Shevchenko took on the division champ Alexa Grasso in the main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The two put up a spectacular fight – one that fans won’t forget. However, in the end, there was no winner. In her post-fight interview with Aron Bronsteter, Shevchenko expressed her dissatisfaction with the judges’ decision. But what about a possible trilogy fight?

Valentina Shevchenko powers through a draw against Alexa Grasso – Is a trilogy fight next on the line?

Billed as UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2, the Women’s Flyweight main event was an unforgettable fight with a rather ‘disappointing’ end. Not for the champion Alexa Grasso though. The two fighters gave it their all and the fight went the distance. However, at the end of the five-round fight, the match wasn’t awarded to anyone.

Grasso walked away with her championship, but not a win over her rival. This marks the second consecutive loss (although the second leg was a draw, she did not get the title) for Shevchenko at the hands of Grasso. So, what’s next for Valentina Shevchenko?

The judges’ scorecards were as follows: 48-47 Shevchenko, 48-47 Grasso, and 47-47. While the fight was a remarkable one, Shevchenko suffered a concerning injury. Within the first round, she suffered a broken thumb but powered through the fight, for the fans. In a post-fight interview with Aron Bronsteter, Valentina Shevchenko was asked about her plans next and whether a trilogy fight is on the line.

“Right now, I wanna see what is like, wrong with my thumb. I know what is wrong with it – it’s fractured. But I wanna see how big the fracture is. And I hope it’s not gonna take for long time, it’s gonna heal pretty fast, and I can continue to train.
But I’m not gonna go anywhere. I’m staying in martial arts,” replied Valentina Shevchenko.

Read More – 5 Months After Losing Her Title, Valentina Shevchenko Lays Bare Her Emotions Ahead of Alexa Grasso Rematch

While she didn’t directly answer with a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’, one can only assume that she might be considering the trilogy fight, especially because it was such a close one. The last time the two fought was at UFC 285, where Alexa Grasso took the win.

Shevchenko calls the Judges’ Decision ‘Unfair’ after UFC Vegas draw

UFC fans who saw Shevchenko and Grasso fight at UFC Vegas know that the decision was a shocker. A draw, by split decision, doesn’t come easy. Both fighters were extremely impressive but in the end, Flyweight champ Alexa Grasso retained her title. This didn’t go down too well with the challenger, who shared her thoughts in the post-fight interview with Bronsteter.

“I felt it’s a little bit unfair. I felt it was three rounds my side… like two rounds her side.“, remarked Shevchenko, when Bronsteter asked her if she felt that she had been robbed. However, she gave herself a pat on the back saying, “I’m happy that I did everything to perform the best what I can, to give to all fans the best fight what I could give… and this is what I’m proud of.“.

In the interview, Shevchenko was seen wearing a sling or a cast on her wrist, depicting what one can only assume was a broken thumb. “I broke my finger in the first round – my thumb and it’s kind of like now I cannot move it and I felt it through the whole round. But I felt that if I stopped the fight and say that I cannot continue, all fans… they gonna be, kind of… will be frustrating a little bit, because they wanna watch the fight. This why I was continue. This is my soul. This is my soul of the fighter,” clarified Shevchenko.

There is no doubt that she has the heart of a warrior but can she get herself to do it all over again, for the third time? Because regardless of the fact that she did put up a great fight and almost secured a win, records show that Grasso has two wins over her.

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