Two former flyweight champs and rivals made their return to the Octagon last weekend at UFC 315, but only one emerged victorious! It was a night of creating records for Kyrgyzstani star Valentina Shevchenko, who registered her tenth title fight win in the Dana White-led promotion after besting Manon Fiorot in a scrap to remember. But for her ex-rival, Alexa Grasso, things didn’t turn out in her favor; racking up three back-to-back defeats, with the recent one coming against Natalia Silva.
The contest between Grasso and Silva was a brutal one, but it went the distance as the latter carved out a unanimous decision victory. This is perhaps the most difficult phase of the former flyweight champion’s UFC run since she never had a losing streak prior to the current one. Regardless, the Mexican star seems to be in pretty good spirits. As she took to Instagram, Alexa Grasso revealed her battle scars with a smile, and we must say that her face was really bruised and battered from the war she had against Natalia Silva.
“I’m good, I’ll heal my wounds, I’ll return to training and keep giving it my all because I’m NEVER giving up,” wrote Alexa Grasso in her Instagram post, promising to return stronger and better. Her post reached hundreds of thousands of fans on social media and even caught UFC men’s bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili, who had some kind words for Grasso.
Despite having no direct ties with Mexico, Merab Dvalishvili has embraced the Central American country, and the people have embraced him back. Notably, he traveled to the hispanic country prior to his UFC 311 fight against Umar Nurmagomedov, to sharpen his boxing. The relationship began prior to his UFC 306 title fight against Sean O’Malley, where he said, “I’m going to make Mexicans happy because the Mexican people need to feel proud. I’m going to make Mexico proud; I represent Mexico. Let’s go, guys!”
Now, he’s proven with his recent comment on Alexa Grasso‘s Instagram post that his heart lies with the fighters of Mexico. Despite her luck not turning out, the former flyweight champion garnered ‘The Machine’s support, who not only put a Mexican flag in his comment but also deemed her a “warrior.”
This wasn’t the first time Merab Dvalishvili shared kind words for Alexa Grasso. He did the same last year, ahead of his UFC 306 fight as well. Meanwhile, she had no excuses in her statement after the fight, and gave credit where credit was due, heaping praise on Natalia Silva for showing up and showing out. Well, Grasso’s recent opponent is looking to go for the big fish in the 125lbs division, so let’s take a look at what she had to say.
Natalia Silva is gunning for Alexa Grasso’s ex-rival
One of the most memorable rivalries of the women’s flyweight division has been between Alexa Grasso and reigning champion Valentina Shevchenko. They’ve already fought twice, and maybe, we could have gotten a trilogy fight if it wasn’t for Natalia Silva, who extended her undefeated run in the UFC last weekend and is now 7-0 since joining the promotion in 2022.
After a monumental win over the former champion, Natalia Silva clearly stated that she now wants to fight for the title, and even sent a message to Valentina Shevchenko in the aftermath of UFC 315. The Brazilian ace has demanded that ‘Bullet’ take notice of her exploits inside the Octagon after beating a rival who has handed Shevchenko in the past.
“My focus is on the title. I came here to become champion, my eyes are on the title. I have a narrative against either one of the two. Valentina once said she didn’t know me, and I think it’s about time she knows me,” Natalia Silva stated during the UFC 315 post-fight presser. “I say that ever since I came here to the UFC, I came here to become champion. And not just another champion, I want to leave a legacy, I want people to know my story.”
Well, the title picture in the women’s flyweight division seems clear now, but we need to wait on what’s next for Alexa Grasso. Will she fight once more by the end of this year? That remains to be seen.
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