UFC flyweight champion Alexa Grasso has paid tribute to her home country ahead of her rematch with Valentina Shevchenko on Mexican Independence Day.
The holiday stemmed from the Mexican War of Independence in the 19th century, resulting in the Central American country’s independence from Spain. Since, it has been a greatly celebrated holiday for Mexicans across the world on September 16 and there have often been combat sports events held to celebrate the occasion.
This year, the UFC will hold a fight night card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, titled Noche UFC, where Grasso will defend her flyweight title for the first time. Across from her will be the woman she took the title from earlier this year, Shevchenko. The rest of the card will see a variety of Mexican fighters compete, such as Tracy Cortez and Anthony Hernandez.
In an exclusive interview with Combat Sports UK, the 30-year-old discussed her pride to fight on Mexican Independence Day.
She said: “Mexico is an amazing country! I’m truly happy to be born here, to be raised here, train here 100%.
“I know that I had a lot of comments that [said], ‘No, you will never be a champion if you stay in Mexico’. No way, of course, I’m gonna be champion! Living here, training here with my same team, the ones that I started the first day [with].
“So, it’s a big and huge accomplishment for me. So, Independence Day, what better day to show how to fight for your dreams and for everything you want to have? A better life, a better job, you know, to help your family, your teammates. It’s amazing for me, it’s huge and I’m super, super thankful with the UFC for these opportunities.”
Grasso on Her Confidence Going Into the Rematch with Shevchenko
Grasso went into the first fight with ‘The Bullet’ as a huge +600 underdog. However, she didn’t look like one during the fight – the Guadalajaran seemed to have the clear advantage in the boxing department and capitalised on a mistake from the former champion in the fourth round, submitting her with a rear-naked choke.
In the ‘Modern Era’ of the UFC, just four champions have managed to reclaim their titles in immediate rematches. Those being: Randy Couture, Amanda Nunes, Deiveson Figueiredo and Israel Adesanya. This puts Grasso on the right side of the statistics.
The 125 queen revealed the confidence she is taking from the first clash with the Kyrgyzstani.
She said: “I was already with her [for] 20 minutes in the cage – I felt her power, I felt her energy, I know that I’m stronger.
“I know she felt my hands, I know she felt that, when we were even on the floor, yeah she got some good positions but I was never in danger.
“I never felt, on any single shot or kick, in danger. Never. So, this second fight is going to be a lot better than the first one.”
Alexa Grasso Full Exclusive Interview
You can watch the full interview with Grasso below:
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
