The UFC women’s flyweight title will be on the line this Saturday night at UFC 285, as Valentina Shevchenko defends her belt against Alexa Grasso.
Shevchenko is widely regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, having dominated her division since 2018 with seven consecutive title defenses. Grasso is a rising star who has won four straight fights, including impressive victories over Viviane Araujo, Maycee Barber, and Joanne Wood.
UFC 285 will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be headlined by a heavyweight title clash between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane. The main card will air on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+. The PPV main card will start at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
In this article, we will take a look at what some of the UFC’s top fighters think about the co-main event between Shevchenko and Grasso. These fighters recently spoke with MMA journalist James Lynch and shared their prediction and analysis ahead of the fight.
Who do they think will win and why? Read on to find out.
Shevchenko vs. Grasso predictions
Jan Blachowicz
“Shevchenko, she’s you know, on a different level, I think, to the rest of the ladies. So she’s like Superwoman, something like this. So for sure, I believe that she defends her belt.” (via James Lynch)
Erin Blanchfield
“I definitely see Valentina winning. I think Alexa Grasso is a talented fighter in her own right. I think she could give Valentina a little bit of a run. But I think Valentina is just a little more well-rounded overall, like her striking game and her ground game and wrestling. I think I think she’ll be able to impose her will on Alexa” (via James Lynch)
Curtis Blaydes
“[I’m picking] Valentina… Every time until she proves me wrong.” (via James Lynch)
Jasmine Jasudavicius
“I think that’s gonna be a cool fight. I think Grasso is very talented. I think that every time that Shevchenko fights, I think she gets humanized a little bit more, a little bit more, a little bit more…
“That being said, I still think she takes this, she’s so good.I think that she’ll be able to find a way, but I think she’ll be humanized more and more and more and like, you know somebody will take that crown away. I mean, hopefully, it’s me. But until then, I think that is gonna be a really good fight.” (via James Lynch)
Cody Stamann
“Valentina, but I’m not sure she has the same tenacity as she once did. I think I’ve seen chinks in her armor.
“I think Grasso could pull off an upset, you know. I mean if there was an upset coming, I think that is the fight where it could happen. But Valentina is kind of a lock at that division.” (via James Lynch)
Julian Marquez
“That’s such a great matchup, right? The thing is that it’s so hard to go against Shevchenko, she is a savage, she is strong, she’s always evolving and I feel like in every fight she tries something new every time. But Grasso, right now it’s been real strong for Mexico and their fighters. Their fighters are coming out winning titles. You know, we just had Brandon Marino take home the title. We just had Yair Rodriguez take a title. Now we have a female for female Mexican fighters going in there like you know, you want to give it to Alexa. It’s a tough one. I am friends with Alexa. So I’m gonna go with her and I want Mexico to win this one.” (via James Lynch)
Hailey Cowan-Brennan
“I don’t think Alexa is the one to do it. I love Alexa. I love watching you fight. I just think Valentina is on another level.
“I don’t think currently there’s anyone in that division. I mean if anyone beats her again it’s gonna be that rematch against Amanda at the higher weight class. So I just don’t see anyone beating her anytime soon. Maybe Taila Santos… I thought she deserved an immediate rematch after that but I mean she would be the one to do it, I think.” (via James Lynch)
Tabatha Ricci
“I see Valentina finishing the fight standing up. She’s well-rounded in all these styles. She’s a complete fighter and she’s just in her time now and I think she can take that fight.” (via James Lynch)
