Somewhat lost in the debate of the controversial scoring — including a 10-8 fifth round — that led to a split draw in last weekend’s UFC women’s flyweight title rematch is just how perfect Alexa Grasso and former champion Valentina Shevchenko appear to be for each other.
The main event of the inaugural Noche UFC card in Las Vegas produced a five-round tactical thriller, which was fresh off the heels of their first meeting at UFC 285 in March, when Grasso rallied for a fourth-round submission win despite being down on the scorecards.
If we have learned anything through nearly nine complete rounds of action, it’s that Grasso and Shevchenko are the two greatest fighters in the short history of the 125-pound division. But what we don’t know quite yet is which fighter of the two truly has the edge against one another.
Shevchenko, at 35, seemed to fight even better in the rematch after going back to the lab to reinvent herself following such a shocking upset loss six months ago. The former flyweight queen faired much better against Grasso’s boxing skills, save for a second-round knockdown she suffered on a beautiful three-punch combination.
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