In a year when the UFC celebrated its 30th anniversary, a few fighters made history and pulled off massive upsets in title fights. There was arguably none bigger than Alexa Grasso’s flyweight title upset over Valentina Shevchenko. It was a historic moment, not only for women’s MMA, but for the country of Mexico.
Born in Guadalajara, Grasso’s journey to the top wasn’t easy. As a strawweight, she traded wins and losses over six fights. Seemingly stuck in neutral, little did she know that a battle with the scale would send her down a championship path. After missing weight for a bout against former title challenger Claudia Gadelha in 2020, the permanent move to flyweight was made.
A healthier, stronger Grasso won her next four fights, setting up the biggest opportunity of her career: a fight for the title against one of the best of all time in Shevchenko. No woman from Mexico ever held UFC gold, and most assumed that it would be another walk in the park for Shevchenko. Talks of who would be next for “Bullet” preceded the fight.
Boxing has been the source of Mexico’s combat sports success, but the sweet science no longer stood alone. Brandon Moreno and Yair Rodriguez started the championship momentum by capturing gold, undisputed and interim respectively. Their success gave Grasso the added motivation she needed, and she made the promise to herself that she would not return home to Mexico empty-handed.
On March 4, Grasso did the unthinkable and tapped Shevchenko with a rear-naked choke in the fourth round at UFC 285. The moment shocked the MMA world, and rattled betting windows as Grasso cashed as a +575 underdog. One of the biggest upsets in UFC history crowned Mexico’s first female champion. Grasso’s success immediately inspired her home nation.
After the celebration subsided, reality began to set in, and it was time to get right back to work. Grasso knew she would have to defeat Shevchenko again, as long-reigning champions typically get an immediate rematch after a loss. Grasso wasn’t bothered by it though, she welcomed it. Just as people doubted her before becoming champion, many of those same people thought her victory was a fluke. She had to prove them wrong again and was eager to do so.
The rematch would come six months later at Noche UFC, an event celebrating Mexican Independence Day. Once again, Grasso gave Shevchenko trouble. The incredible rematch resulted in a split draw, but many made their case as to why either fighter should have won outright.
Regardless, Grasso proved that she really is that good, and the gold deserves to be around her waist. While Grasso didn’t earn a clean victory in her title retention, she earned the respect of her doubters as she heads into her next challenge in 2024.
Champions across various promotions were in consideration for this year’s award: UFC’s Zhang Weili, PFL’s Larissa Pacheco, Bellator’s Liz Carmouche, and ONE’s Stamp Fairtex. Also, there were a few who turned in a solid 2023 campaign but did not have the hardware to go along with it such as Tatiana Suarez, Erin Blanchfield, and Loopy Godinez.
For her massive title fight upset against one of the best to ever do it, making history for her country in the process, and then proving it wasn’t a fluke in the rematch, Alexa Grasso is MMA Junkie’s 2023 Female Fighter of the Year.
