UFC Fight Night ‘Grasso Vs. Shevchenko 2’ + Weekly MMA Report
UFC 293 was a fun card to watch, and we’ve seen a massive upset in the main event of the evening, where Sean Strickland outclassed Israel Adesanya in a five-round war and earned the 185-pound division strap. The co-main was excellent too – Alexander Volkov stopped Tai Tuivasa via Ezekiel choke off the mount.
UFC 293 Throwback
Dana White was impressed with Strickland’s title fight performance. Despite the fight ending via unanimous decision, “Tarzan” was rewarded with an extra 50k and a POTN award.
The second Performance of the Night award went into the hands of Justin Tafa, who turned the lights out on Austen Lane via first-round knockout.
ONE AND DONE 🤯@Justin_Tafa ends this one with a KO in the first round! #UFC293 pic.twitter.com/oAXNYshs4P
— UFC (@ufc) September 10, 2023
The Fight of the Night bonus was given to the former RIZIN champ Manel Kape and the UFC debutant Felipe dos Santos. The two traded big bombs for 15 minutes, and Kape won via unanimous decision.
UFC Fight Night ‘Grasso Vs. Shevchenko 2’ Announcement
You rarely see a title bout in the fight night event. Yet, September 16th is a special day for the UFC’s 125-pound female division, as Alexa Grasso will try to defend her belt against Valentina Shevchenko in a rematch. The event takes place in T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada. It is also known as “Noche UFC”.
Image source: @UFCEurope Twitter
Grasso dethroned Shevchenko via rear-naked choke in the fourth round, but “The Bullet” looks sharper than ever. Grasso has to drag the bout to the ground to win, while Valentina has to keep it standing by any means necessary. One way or another, this will hardly go the distance.
Prediction: The fight will not go the distance
The co-main event of the evening brings the entertaining battle between Kevin Holland and Jack Della Maddalena. The Aussie fighter is known for his excellent all-around game, feinting, and cardio. Kevin Holland’s trademark is activity and quick punches, but he’s a very stubborn fighter. Holland likes to fight for the crowd – he tried to defeat Stephen Thompson in a stand-up game, despite Thompson being arguably the best puncher and kicker in UFC’s 170-pound division.
If Holland fights smart, he might outwork Jack. Yet, Holland likes to grapple with grapplers, wrestle against wrestlers, and strike with elite-level strikers. He is hard to finish, so this could go into later rounds.
Prediction: Over 2.5 rounds
You can take a look at the full fight card below.
Main Card (UFC On Fight Pass, ESPN+, 10 PM ET, 3 AM UK time)
UFC Flyweight title fight: Alexa Grasso (16-3-0) vs. Valentina Shevchenko (23-4-0)
Welterweight: Kevin Holland (25-9-0) vs. Jack Della Maddalena (15-2-0)
Bantamweight: Raul Rosas Jr. (7-1-0) vs. Terrence Mitchell (14-3-0)
Lightweight: Daniel Zellhuber (13-1-0) vs. Christos Giagos (20-10-0)
Featherweight: Fernando Padilla (15-4-0) vs. Kyle Nelson (14-5-1)
Preliminary Card (UFC On Fight Pass, ESPN+, 7 PM ET, midnight UK time)
Strawweight: Lupita Godinez (10-3-0) vs. Elise Reed (7-3-0)
Middleweight: Roman Kopylov (11-2-0) vs. Josh Fremd (11-4-0)
Flyweight: Edgar Cháirez (10-5-0) vs. Daniel Lacerda (11-5-0)
Flyweight: Tracy Cortez (10-1-0) vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius (9-2-0)
Lightweight: Charlie Campbell (7-2-0) vs. Alex Reyes (13-3-0)
Strawweight: Josefine Knutsson (6-0-0) vs. Marnic Mann (6-1-0)
UFC Fight Night ‘Grasso Vs. Shevchenko 2’ Full Card Predictions
You can take a look at the upcoming fight night predictions in the playlist below.
This is a fight night to remember. Can Valentina Shevchenko reclaim the title after a devastating submission loss? Tune in on Saturday to find out, the upcoming event’s going to be amazing!
