Alexa Grasso - UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion & Number One Ranked Women Pound-for-Pound Fighter

Alexa Grasso is a Mexican MMA fighter who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. She is the current reigning UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion. Grasso made her MMA debut when she was only 19 years old. Grasso proved her prowess by remaining undefeated for 18 months following her MMA debut. In this period, she amassed an impeccable record of 5 consecutive wins.

Grasso was born in Guadalajara, Mexico on August 9, 1993. She got into MMA at a young age due to being inspired and encouraged by her parents.

Alexa’s parents trained in martial arts, their interest in combat sports passing on to their children. Alexa’s father, Luis Grasso, was interested in martial arts that later became Alexa’s interest. Her older brother also trained in various martial arts.

Grasso did dancing, soccer, and basketball as a child. Being an athletic child, she used to compete in soccer and basketball in school.

Grasso was only five years old when she started training in kickboxing and taekwondo.

Soon after she started training in kickboxing and taekwondo, Alexa transitioned to boxing and MMA. Her father, Luis Grasso, taught her how to shadowbox, while her uncle, Francisco Grasso, trained her in other martial arts. The Grasso brothers started a gym together, Lobo Gym, and Alexa used to help them.

Alexa’s uncle Francisco Grasso, aka Pancho, had a large influence on her training. Even Alexa’s coach Diego Lopes said that Alexa’s background really helped her in making a champion. Lopes has always supported his student and credited her uncle for Alexa’s success. Francisco is the one breaking down every win and lost fight to Alexa while explaining her the mistakes and the perfect techniques that later help her in the next fight. Francisco is like a mentor to Alexa to whom she looks at.

Grasso is the first female Mexican to become UFC Champion. She holds the belt in the UFC flyweight division. Her boxing skills are what helped her defeat former UFC Flyweight Champion, Valentina Schevchenko.

Irene Aldana is a Mexican MMA fighter who competes in the UFC. Since January 2023, Aldana has been ranked number five in the UFC women’s bantamweight rankings. Grasso has been friends with Aldana for a very long time, having trained together at Lobo Gym under Diego Lopes.

Fluent in Spanish, Grasso is the UFC analyst for UFC’s Spanish broadcasts on UFC Español. An average UFC analyst makes $48,000 to $75,000 annually.

At UFC 258, while Grasso was competing against Maycee Barber, she suffered from a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during the fight. A torn ACL occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee over-stretches. In the third round, Grasso knew there was something wrong with her knee, but resolved to continue fighting and eventually won via unanimous decision. According to Grasso,

After the fight, Grasso took a break for almost a year before returning to defeat Joanne Wood via submission.

Grasso keeps her professional and personal lives separate. Her fans only know a little about her personal life as Grasso does not want people prying too much into her privacy. There are rumors that she is dating a Mexican MMA fighter named Yair Rodriquez. Yet no official statement has been released by Rodriquez or Grasso on this matter.

Grasso is also a zoophilist. She often posts videos of her dogs on social media and works with different animal welfare organizations. Grasso is also involved with many charities. She is not afraid to tell the truth no matter how harsh it may be. She recently talked about her struggles with weight cutting and body shaming in MMA.

Grasso works for the personal welfare of women and encourages empowerment in women. She strives to be a role model for women to encourage them to pursue their dreams.

Soon after Grasso completed her martial arts training, she competed in and won first place in a national jiu-jitsu tournament. The tournament was conducted by Grasso’s father and uncle, with her coming in first place.

In May 2023, Grasso was promoted to a BJJ brown belt at the Delta Martial Arts Academy after becoming the UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion. She has been practicing BJJ for a very long time. Her most famous wins of all time are her submission wins. She has a versatile fighting style that mainly comprises ground grappling and taking the dominant position. The Delta Martial Arts Academy posted a picture of Grasso in a brown belt and congratulated her on her success.

In December 2012, Grasso made her MMA debut at GEX: Old Jack’s Fight Night in Jalisco, Mexico. She defeated Sandra del Rincon via a KO punch in the first 15 seconds of the first round. Grasso gained fame after her first knockout win. And later the UFC Champion proved that she is capable of defeating fighters because she has the sheer strength to do it.

After the first victory, Grasso was even more ready for her next fight. At the Fight Hard Championship 3, Grasso knocked out Lupita Hernandez via punches within 12 seconds of the first round. Grasso is considered a force that comes just to hijack whatever she wants.

After these two fights, Grasso signed up for two fights with Xtreme Kombat. Both fights were held on August 31, 2014 in Izcalli, Mexico. In her first fight at Xtreme Kombat 20, Grasso defeated Alejandra Alvarez via TKO punches and knees. In her second fight at Xtreme Combat 20, Grasso defeated Karina Rodriguez, a Mexican MMA fighter and former Invicta FC Flyweight Champion, via unanimous decision. The latter was Grasso's first fight she won via unanimous decision because the other ones were straight-out deadly knockout wins.

Grasso’s MMA career finally gained recognition from the Invicta FC, working for women's development and welfare from the start. On September 6, 2014, She made her Invicta FC debut at Invicta FC 8: Waterson vs. Tamada. Grasso’s Invicta FC debut took place one year after her appearance at Xtreme Kombat 20. Grasso defeated Ashley Cummins, an American MMA fighter who had competed in Invicta FC and Bellator MMA, via unanimous decision.

On December 5, 2014 at Invicta FC 10: Waterson vs. Tiburcio, Grasso knocked down Alida Gray, an American MMA fighter and judoka, via punches in the first round.

On February 27, 2015, Grasso’s third fight in Invicta FC was against Mizuki Inoue, a Japanese MMA fighter and kickboxer, at Invicta FC 11: Cyborg vs. Tweet in Los Angeles, California, United States. Grasso won the fight via unanimous decision and was awarded “Fight of the Night” for her performance.

Grasso's next Invicta FC appearance was at a title fight. On July 29, 2016, Grasso defeated Jodie Esquibel, an American MMA fighter, at Invicta FC 18: Grasso vs. Esquibelvia unanimous decision. Grasso also was awarded “Performance of the Night.” At Invicta FC 18, Grasso was scheduled to compete against Livia Renata Souza for the Invicta FC Strawweight title belt. However, Souza suffered an injury at the last moment that resulted in the bout being canceled.

Grasso competed in  the UFC installment The Ultimate Fighter series, “The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale: dos Anjos vs. Ferguson.” In Mexico City, Mexico, Grasso defeated Heather Jo Clark via unanimous decision.

Starting her MMA career in 2012, Grasso remained undefeated for four consecutive years. Considered one of her biggest achievements, this led to her invitation into the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Grasso made her UFC strawweight debut at UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. The Korean Zombie on February 4, 2017 in Houston, Texas, United States. It was Grasso’s strawweight debut which she unfortunately lost against Felice Herrig via unanimous decision. Felice Herrig is an American retired MMA fighter who competed in the UFC strawweight division.

On August 5, 2017, Grasso defeated Randa Markos, an Iraqi-born Canadian MMA fighter, via split decision at UFC Fight Night: Pettis vs. Moreno in Mexico City, Mexico. Before the fight, it was disclosed that Grasso suffered from a urinary tract infection. Her infection required her to take antibiotics and stop cutting weight for the bout. This resulted in Grasso being 3 lbs over the strawweight limit. Because of this, Grasso was fined for her greater weight. She was fined 20% from her own purse that was given to Markos. The bout was then conducted as a catchweight match.

At UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman, Grasso lost to Tatiana Suarez, an American MMA fighter with proficiency in wrestling, via rear naked choke. It is the only fight that Grasso lost via submission. The champion has never been submitted again in her whole career. Grasso’s opponent, Suarez is an American MMA fighter known for her wrestling. That actually shows that Grasso didn’t lose from an average fighter, but rather a fighter who knows her way around UFC.

At UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Stephens, Grasso lost to Carla Esparza, an American MMA fighter and former two-time UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion, via majority decision on September 21, 2019. However, Grasso won “Fight of the Night” honors for her performance.

On June 8, 2019, at UFC 238 in Chicago, Illinois, United States, Grasso defeated Karolina Kowalkiewicz, a Polish MMA fighter, via unanimous decision in the strawweight division.

Grasso was scheduled to compete against Claudia Gadelha at UFC 246. On the day of the weigh-ins, Grasso weighed above the UFC strawweight limit of 116 lb at about 121.5 lbs. The Nevada State Athletic Commission had to cancel the bout due to Grasso’s weight since the rules state that the NSAC can cancel a fight if there is a weight difference of more than 3 lbs between fighters. Grasso would apologize for the canceled fight and later decided to compete in the UFC flyweight division.

In 2020, Grasso decided to fight in another weight class and announced her UFC flyweight debut. On August 29, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakic, Grasso defeated Kim Ji-Yeon, a South Korean MMa fighter and former Jewels and Gladiator Women’s Bantamweight Champion, via unanimous decision. The fight was originally supposed to be held on June 27, 2020, but was rescheduled due to travel restrictions during the COVID-19, on August 29, 2020.

At UFC 258, Grasso defeated Maycee Barber, an American MMA fighter who competes in the UFC flyweight division, via unanimous decision and won “Fight of the Night.”

On March 26, 2022 at UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Daukaus held at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, United States, Grasso submitted Joanne Wood, the Scottish UFC Women’s Flyweight fighter, via a rear naked choke.

After submitting Wood at UFC on ESPN, Grasso was awarded a title fight against Viviane Araujo. At the UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Araujo held at the UFC Apex in Enterprise, Nevada, Grasso won the fight via unanimous decision.

At UFC 285 held at the T-Mobile Area in Paradise, Nevada,United States, Alexa submitted Valentina Shevchenko, a Kyrgyz and Peruvian MMA fighter, via a face crank and became the UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion for the first time. Shevchenko is the former UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion.

Before her official match with Shevchenko, Grasso’s uncle, Francisco, had been preparing his niece ever since her match against Barber in 2021. He wanted Alexa to be ready to face off against the seven-time UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion if the time ever came. Taking two years to prepare, Alexa studied Shevchenko’s fighting style and noticed her frequent use of spinning techniques.

Before their match, Shevchenko had won nine UFC fights in a row. This made Alexa’s victory over Shevchenko a major upset in BJJ history. Alexa couldn’t believe she had become UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion and that she submitted such an experienced fighter but not to forget that Grasso herself is the finest fighter UFC has ever had. After emerging victorious Grasso said,

Grasso didn’t train for only one year to compete with Shevchenko. Her uncle Pancho was way ahead of time when he said that Grasso was going to compete against Shevchenko when Grasso had only defeated Macyee Barber in 2021. Since then, Grasso has been training to compete against Shevchenko and that is how she was able to submit her, via years of training

Grasso defeating Shevchenko is one of the biggest upsets in the history of UFC. Grasso defeated the seven times UFC title defending champion, Shevchenko via submission and became the UFC Women’s UFC Flyweight Champion for the first time. Before losing to Grasso, Shevchenko had won nine straight fights in the UFC. This upset is even greater than Julianna Pena submitting Amanda Nunes and Holly Holm knocking out Ronda Rousey.

It was the spinning kick of Grasso that changed the whole atmosphere and tone of the fight. Grasso knew she was going to compete against Shevchenko. She trained for more than two years in this fight. She had particularly learned and studied the fighting style of Shevchenko for the fight. Grasso even said in the post-fight interview that she knew that Shevchenko did spinning things.

Since June 20, 2023, Grasso has been ranked number one in the UFC Women’s Pound-For-Pound fighter rankings.

On March 4, 2023, Grasso won the UFC Flyweight champion belt from Valentina Shevcjenko and became the UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion. On September 16, 2023 or Mexican Independence Day, Grasso and Shevchenko are scheduled to have a rematch at  Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. UFC Fight Night: Grasso Vs. Shevchenko 2 will be Grasso's first title defense.

Grasso is an excellent and ferocious fighter. Having an MMA background is the main reason for her success. Her parents, uncle, and coach have always supported her.  The goal for Grasso was always the belt. She evolved in every fight to reach the level of a champion. And eventually became the UFC belt champion. Her fight against Shevchenko was the peak moment of her career which Grasso strived for years. Grasso said, “The back take after the spinning kick was trained for months”, for Shevchenko's fight.

Grasso is a fighter with unwavering determination and mental toughness. Grasso's fighting style consists of strikes and throws that give her the dominant edge over her opponents. Grasso’s adeptness in boxing gives her a dominant edge over her opponents. She cuts angles to her opponent’s weak sides and encounters with her techniques. After finding her rhythm, Grasso delivers her punches faster. She punches with accuracy and measurable led movements. She knows her way around setbacks and adversities, so she succeeded in the fight against Barber even after suffering from a torn ACL. The fighting style of Garsso consists of the naturalness that has been passed down through generations. Grasso’s grandfather and uncle were boxers

At Invicta FC 11, Grasso went up against Mizuki Inoue. In the first round, Grasso went on the offensive first by moving forward with a jab and a kick. Grasso punched Inoue hard in the face followed by kicks to the left leg. When Inoue tried to punch Grasso, Grasso successfully managed to dodge and retaliated with a hard punch to the face. Inoue managed to land a few front kicks, but they had little effect on Grasso. Grasso went for a double jab which Inoue managed to dodge and stayed safe. Grasso followed up by hitting Inoue with a back kick. Inoue tried to corner Grasso so she could use judo throws, but Grasso did a marvelous job staying away from the fence. However, near the end of the first round, Inoue trapped Grasso against the fence and tried to go for a single-leg takedown. Luckily, Grasso’s jabs and knee kicks kept Inoue at bay.

In the second round, Grasso punched Inoue in the nose and caused it to start bleeding. Grasso dominated most of the round by landing knee kicks, high kicks, and punches on Inoue’s face. Inoue tried to protect herself and attacked Grasso with punches.The high kicks by Grasso were the most dominating part of the round.

In the third round, Grasso gained back control from the ground and tried to submit Inoue. Inoue tried to go for Grasso’s arm, but Grasso pulled off a reversal and freed herself. Later, Grasso won via unanimous decision.

At Invicta FC 10: Waterson vs. Tiburcio, Grasso competed against Alida Gray, the American judoka and MMA fighter. Just like always, Grasso started the match with a low kick. Grasso got in close to Gray and landed a punch on her face. Gray backed off to embrace the punch when Grasso’s punches as she stepped forward and landed a few more punches. Grasso cornered Gray and punched her multiple times in the face. Gray momentarily turned the tables by hitting Grasso, but Grasso soon regained control. Grasso knocked out Gray with her punches and won the fight in just 1 minute and 47 seconds in the first round.

At Invicta FC 8, Grasso fought against Ashley Cummins. In the first round, Cummins landed an uppercut, then went for a double-leg takedown that she later switched to a single-leg takedown. Grasso freed her leg and punched Cummins a few times in the face. Grasso’s knee kicks helped her get away from the fence. Cummins then took down Cummins while Grasso got into a closed guard position to exert control. Grasso went for an armbar, but Cummins managed to defend against it.

In the second round, Cummins punched Grasso, and gave her the impression of a back attack, and in the meantime, she set her own shot. Cummins then cornered her again before doing knee kicks. Grasso managed to escape and hit Cummins with multiple jabs and punches. Near the end of the second round, Grasso tried a front kick but missed Cummins.

In the third round, Cummins hit Grasso with a front kick followed by a jab. Cummin went for a double-leg takedown, but ended up getting punched by Grasso. Grasso then trapped her against the cage. Having a Muay Thai background, Cummins retaliated with a Muay Thai technique, the horizontal elbow. Cummins then tried to execute a roundhouse kick that Grasso was able to dodge. Cummins took down Grasso, while Grasso grappled Cummins's arm and went for a submission. Though Cummins managed to escape the submission, she lost to Garsso via unanimous decision.

At UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Daukaus, Grasso competed against former Muay Thai champion and MMA fighter, Joanne Wood. Wood had long legs that allowed her to kick from farther away. When the match started, Grasso initiated a takedown, while Wood hooked her legs around Grasso. Wood tried to choke out Garsso, but Grasso kept punching her in the side. Wood tried to use elbow punches, but Grasso held her position while dodging. As Wood punched Grasso, Grasso grabbed her by the arm and took her down. Grasso gained back control and submitted Wood via a rear naked choke within four minutes in the first round.

At UFC 258, Grasso went up against Maycee Barber. Durin the match, Barber tried to corner Grasso against the cage, Grasso executed a knee kick and pulled a reversal by switching positions to corner Barber against the fence instead. Grasso managed to successfully dodge Barber’s punches and tag her opponent with her own. Barber tried to charge Grasso, but Grasso still managed to keep her cornered against the cage. As Barber attacked, Grasso managed to avoid most of the punches and hammer Barber with multiple hard blows.

In the second round, Grasso dominated with her punches. In the third round, Grasso cornered Barber against the fence and knee-kicked her. Though Barber managed to turn the tide and maintain dominance in the third round, Grasso won the fight via unanimous decision due to dominating the first two rounds. via a unanimous decision held in the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

At UFC 285, Shevchenko appeared for her eighth title defense fight. At the start of the fight, both fighters were calm and composed. Grasso with her boxing skills made the first attack. Shevchenko dominated in the first round with spinning back punches and kicks. Grasso initiated a takedown but didn’t succeed in it. Grasso tried to corner Shevchenko in the Octagon but Schevchenko used that strength to takedown Grasso. Shevchenko transitioned into the side control looking for the crucifix position. Grasso used the cage wall to get to her feet until Shevchenko took her down again.

Shevchenko took Grasso down and tried to go for a choke when Grasso transitioned into the guillotine choke position but the time for the round was over. In the fourth round, Grasso dogged a takedown and grabbed a hold of Shevchenko by jumping on her back. As both fighters got close to the cage, Grasso locked the rear naked choke position and submitted Shevchenko via face crank. Grasso then became the UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion. It is the biggest upset in the history of UFC. Grasso has been training for years to defeat Shevchenko and when the right moment came Grasso was so checked that she told Joe Rogan to punch her as she couldn't believe it.

• Won One Performance of the Night
• Won One Fight of the Night

• UFC’s Reigning Women’s Flyweight Champion
• Won One Fight of the Night
• Won One Performance of the Night
• First Mexican Woman to Become a UFC Belt Champion
• Ranked Third for Most Strikes in a Three-Round Fight (369 Strikes)

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Picture Credits: @alexa_grasso