UFC to host inaugural Mexican Independence Day event.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) organization UFC will present “Noche UFC: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2,” headlined by a title fight between women’s flyweight (56.7 kg) champion Alexa Grasso (30, Mexico) and No. 1 ranked Valentina Shevchenko (35, Kyrgyzstan/Peru), on Sept. 17 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The promotion has also launched a new name: Noche UFC. “Noche” means night in Spanish. It’s a fight night event, not a pay-per-view (PPV), but it will be held on Mexico’s Independence Day, which falls on September 16, local time, and will feature a title fight.
It’s a gift to the UFC’s growing Mexican and Hispanic fan base. The UFC is also opening an MMA talent development facility, the Performance Institute (PI), in Mexico this quadrennium, making Mexico the UFC’s Latin American hub.
The main event will feature the only Mexican UFC champion, Alexa Grasso. Grasso was crowned UFC women’s flyweight champion after defeating Dmitry Shevchenko at UFC 285 in March. The result was an upset, as Shevchenko was considered one of the best fighters in UFC women’s history, having won nine straight since 2018.
Shevchenko believes the loss was an “accident. She was dominating Grasso with her wrestling until she locked in a rear-naked choke after a failed spinning back kick in the fourth round. “One defeat doesn’t change anything,” Shevchenko said. I still have the soul of a champion,” Shevchenko said of his determination to regain the belt.
“There will be no mercy this time. This will be a completely different fight. I know what Grasso is capable of, but he hasn’t felt the real me yet. He can run, he can hide. At the end of the day, I’m going to take him down, get my belt back, and walk out of the Octagon.”
“I’m surprised by Shevchenko’s reaction because when you’re experienced and you’ve fought at a high level, you know there’s no such thing as an accident,” Grasso said. “I trained for that moment. I trained to win that match,” he said, emphasizing that the submission victory was no fluke.
Still, oddsmakers favored Shevchenko by a narrow margin. Grasso will have to prove herself once again against the odds. “At the top level, the most important thing is to stay motivated, stay hungry, and keep improving as best you can,” Grasso said, adding that he and his teammates have done their best and are determined to win.메이저놀이터
The co-main event pits No. 13 Kevin Holland (30, USA) against No. 14 Jack De La Maddalena (27, AUS) in the UFC’s welterweight (77.1 kg) rankings. Dela Maddalena is riding a 15-fight win streak and has been highly touted since entering the UFC, winning five straight. He is a boxer with a heavy punch and is expected to have a hard-hitting battle with Holland, who is a kung fu fighter.
The main card of “Notche UFC: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2” will air live on Sunday, Sept. 17 at 11 a.m. ET on tvN SPORTS and TVING.