'Si se puede': Alexa Grasso's historic UFC 285 title win was inspired by rise of Mexican MMA

Alexa Grasso was well aware she was fighting for more than a UFC championship belt this past Saturday.

When she set foot in the octagon at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to challenge Valentina Shevchenko for the UFC women’s flyweight title, Grasso (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) knew her legacy was at stake, and on a bigger scale, the legacy of an entire country.

Mexican fighters in the world of boxing have long dominated and claimed their piece of history in the sport. But in MMA, that’s an entire different story. For many years, Mexico-born fighters had no presence in the world’s biggest stage for MMA – the UFC. However, that is now changing.

In 2023, Mexico was presented with its chance to make a grand arrival and claim real estate atop the UFC. Grasso, along with Yair Rodriguez and Brandon Moreno,  earned opportunities to fight for UFC belts.

Moreno defeated Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 283 in January to become the undisputed UFC flyweight champion, and Rodriguez submitted Josh Emmett in February at UFC 284 to win the interim featherweight title and secure himself a fight with champion Alexander Volkanovski.

This gave Grasso all the momentum and strength to do her part and carry the Mexican flag even further in MMA.

“It was a huge motivation for me,” Grasso told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I truly wanted to win that belt and I couldn’t return to Mexico without the third title because this is an important moment for Mexican fighters: Brandon won, Yair won.

“So imagine, I said to myself, ‘I have to win, no matter what happens. I need to win or win that title.’ It was a big motivation to see them win. I trained a lot, I’m telling you, I trained so, so much to win.”

And that she did. In the co-main event of UFC 285, Grasso defied the odds and became the first person to finish an all-time great in Shevchenko (23-4 MMA, 12-3 UFC). She did it with a rear-naked choke in the fourth round of their contest.

“It didn’t happen by coincidence, it’s something that I trained a lot,” Grasso said regarding her submission win. “I’ve actually done it before. I don’t know if you remember the fight against Jojo (Joanne Wood), but she does similar spins.

“It’s a good attack, but you also risk getting your back taken, and that’s something my coaches and I saw as an opportunity. There were also other techniques that we had prepared to finish the fight, this was just one of them. There’s the video, you saw us training it on the mats before the fight, and it happened. The objective was accomplished and we’re happy.”

Prior to the defeat, Shevchenko had only lost to one person in the UFC – two-division UFC champion Amanda Nunes. The loss also put an end to Shevchenko’s historic title run, which stands as the longest in the UFC’s female history, with seven successful defenses.

With that track record present, Grasso was a big underdog entering UFC 285. Many gave her little chance, and some were already talking about other contenders for Shevchenko’s next title defense.

“I’m not going to live, it obviously doesn’t feel good when so many people don’t believe in you,” Grasso said. “Everyone doubted, they said I had no chance, that I wasn’t at that level, that I can’t do it. It obviously doesn’t feel good, but I know that when I won, I surprised a lot of people and changed the mentality on how they view me. That was important. For people to see who I am and how hard I train.”

Grasso is open to fight Shevchenko in an immediate rematch, as she recognizes she stature in the sport. She also hopes that the UFC books it for an event in Mexico, but will defend the belt wherever the UFC sees fit.

The 29-year-old hopes that this title win, along with the other two from Moreno and Rodriguez, keeps inspiring Mexican athletes to the pinnacle of the sport. But more specifically, her teammates at Lobo Gym in Guadalajara, Mexico.

“It sometimes seems impossible, or it looks so far away. We think, ‘Oh, who knows when this will come, but si se puede (it can be done). To all my training partners, si se puede. They’ve actually been sending me messages saying they’re super motivated because they saw how hard I trained and how disciplined I was, and that makes me happy. This is just the first step of what’s to come.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.