By: Udit Pandit Image credit: UFC.com
The women's UFC flyweight rematch between champion Alexa Grasso and former champion Valentina Shevchenko scheduled for UFC Noche at Apex Arena witnessed an all-out battle.
The fight, which was thought to be an aggressive bout, turned out to be more controversial as the results declared the bout a disappointing split draw.
As Herb Dean shouted "Fight", the contenders traded many strikes and takedowns with powerful counters right in the first round, with Shevchenko taking a lead in the first round.
In round two, Grasso bounced back immediately, looking to deliver quick combos of one-two and quite a few short punches, hurting Shevchenko a bit, leading the judges to favor round two to Grasso.
Rounds three and four did witness an equal trade of strikes and submission attempts as Shevchenko tried a tight guillotine on Grasso but she calmly handled the situation.
The fourth round saw a motivated Grasso throw knees at Shevchenko. Later in the round, Grasso attempted a heel hook on Shevchenko, only to be saved by the horn.
Although the controversial decision was laid out due to a judge handing out a score of 10-8 in the fifth round in favor of Grasso, which resulted in a split draw.
Although Grasso reclaimed the belt, many fans believed that she did not do enough to earn a score of 10 from the judge, Mike Bell. However, Grasso also mentioned how she deserved to be the victor.
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