When the annual Noche UFC (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) rolls in again on September 14, it will be Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko to the march. The PPV co-main event marks a momentous first WMMA trilogy fight. The promotion has released its ceremonial UFC 306 ‘Countdown’ co-main event preview right before fight week. If history is any proof, things are heating up!
UFC 306 pay-per-view – aka, Riyadh Season Noche UFC takes place Saturday at Sphere in Las Vegas. With the return of a fight card comes back the ceremonial promotion vlogs documenting the Fight Weeks. Before that though, the UFC 306 ‘Countdown’ has the duo training hard to claim their stakes in the championship gold.
[The] Second fight, I did a knockdown…And this fight I am coming with everything to finish her…
Alexa Grasso during UFC 306 ‘Countdown’
And definitely, nothing can break my confidence. And everything I want to say…everything I want to show… I want to show the day, September 14…
Valentina Shevchenko during UFC 306 ‘Countdown’
First flyweight champion out of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico – Alexa Grasso (16-3-1-MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) is a prime draw for the Mexican celebration event. She fought ‘Bullet’ twice in 2023. In March, Grasso pulled a massive upset by submitting Valentina Shevchenko with a round 4 face crank submission. After claiming the 125-pound title at UFC 285, they ran it back six months later. The duo starred in the inaugural Noche UFC.
However, the second go was a highly tumultuous split draw. Now, the ‘Countdown’ segment has Shevchenko training in Andrada Muay Thai Gym in Las Vegas, Nevada. Zen martial arts instructor Armando Rosales Jr. nudges UFC 306 will make it clear why the ‘Bullet’ moniker stands. Meanwhile, Team Lobo Gym MMA is sure the boxing-heavy champ to prevail. But Grasso is expecting a whole different kind of aggression.
The last draw was highly controversial with many fans firm on a ‘Bullet’ victory. However, Shevchenko believed the judges felt pressured to keep the title in the Mexican champion’s hand on Mexican Independence Day. As such, Shevchenko will be keen on preventing the fight from going to the judges this time around.
Ahead of the UFC 306 trilogy, Alexa Grasso sees relation with Valentina Shevchenko in ‘really, really weird’ place
It’s only natural that there would be competitiveness en route to undisputed gold. Team Tiger Muay Thai Southpaw Shevchenko (23-4-1 MMA, 12-3-1 UFC) went on a dominant 7-0 title streak after defeating Joanna Jedrzejczyk in 2018. Often considered the most robust and all-around current best in WMMA, she fell prey to Grasso in their first scrap. While she did make adjustments, ‘Bullet’ could not regain the gold. Judge Mike Bell turned in a controversial 10-8 scorecard for Grasso, rendering a draw.
Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko co-mains annual Noche PPV (Source: es.agfight.com)Valentina Shevchenko has long maintained that in a fair scoring system, she had done enough to get her gold back. UFC 306 ‘Countdown’ segment has her training hard and making those claims yet again. However, that’s not where the animosity comes from.
We’ve been so many times together, …All through the show. We had a lot of faceoffs. Again and again and again. I don’t know. It’s really, really weird. I can tell it’s really weird. But at the end of the day, on fight week, and the day of the fight, things change…We are going to try to kill each other and that’s the most important thing.
Alexa Grasso to MMAJunkie’s Mike Bohn in pre-fight interview, sponsored by Stake.com (@Stake)
After fighting twice in 2023, Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso were co-coaches for TUF: Season 32. Grasso finds it difficult to describe her relationship with Shevchenko. She can only say that it’s unusual compared to other experiences she’s had in her career.
After two results, the animosity between the rivals has grown beneath the surface. But on the up-and-up, they spent time in close proximity, operating on the same level as coaches. Shevchenko, 36, does not vibe with what the champ is selling. Come this Noche UFC (UFC 306), it will be clear if this is just Grasso baiting her to fight out of her zone, or if the animosity is as fiery.
