COLUMBUS, Ohio – It’s been a minute since Alexa Grasso secured a finish, but she did so against a high-level opponent at UFC on ESPN 33.
In the co-main event, Grasso (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) tapped perennial contender Joanne Wood (15-8 MMA, 7-8 UFC) at the 3:57 mark of Round 1. The victory was her first finish in the UFC – and her first overall since 2014.
“It feels amazing,” Grasso told MMA Junkie at a post-fight news conference Saturday. “Finally, three wins (in a row) in the UFC and my first finish – my first submission on my record. … Of course, as a fighter you always want to finish a fight. It took a long time, as you said, but now I feel great. As I’m getting older, too, I feel more mature – my mind, my body, and my fight game.”
The win came on the ground, a place Wood had been finished prior to Saturday. Grasso felt the chance she’d get a finish there was high. It was always part of her plans to take the fight there.
“This is a place that we wanted to explore, also because, as I say, my last fights, I’ve been trying,” Grasso said. “I wanted to show my skills on the ground. I wanted to show I’m also still learning. I’m not just a striker. I want to show everyone I’m also a finisher on the ground. My jiu-jitsu is evolving.”
As for what’s next, Grasso hopes a title shot is next. That’s three wins in a row for her in a division that sequential success is hard to come by.
“I hope so, because I see girls in my division usually have four wins in a row,” she said. “Let’s do this. I’ll be ready for whatever the UFC brings to me because I work so hard. … (A title shot) will be a dream come true. Since I’m not injured right now, I’ll come back to the gym, just to be ready.”
UFC on ESPN 33 took place Saturday at Nationwide Arena. Check out Alexa Grasso’s full post-fight news conference in the video above.
