Fans were treated to one of the greatest title fights in
Ultimate Fighting Championship history but left with a sour
taste in their mouths after the highly-anticipated rematch between
flyweight champion Alexa
Grasso and former kingpin Valentina
Shevchenko was scored a split draw (48-47, 47-48, 47-47) in the
Noche UFC main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Saturday
night.
Six months after snapping Shevchenko’s nine-fight winning streak
and reign as champion, Grasso entered the partisan crowd on Mexican
Independence Day as the fan favorite, but “Bullet” was eager to
spoil the party.
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Shevchenko dominated on the ground early but looked tense on the
feet and Grasso took advantage. The champ dropped Shevchenko in
Round 2 and brought the crowd to its feet before piecing her up in
the clinch. Shevchenko yet again took the fight to the ground, but
it was clear that Grasso was a deserving champion.
Rounds 3 and 4 were back and forth and could’ve swayed either way.
Heading into the final stanza it was believed to be either women’s
fight.
Shevchenko looked like she was on her way to cruising to regaining
her belt by controlling most of the action with the jab, but she
made a critical mistake giving up her head on an errant takedown
attempt. Grasso nearly closed the show yet again with a rear-naked
choke, but Shevchenko survived .
While most fans can understand the decision to score the fight a
draw, judge Mike Bell’s 10-8 scoring for Grasso in Round 5 was a
head-scratcher. Had he scored it a 10-9 round, Shevchenko would’ve
retained the belt by split decision. Instead, Grasso retained the
strap as fans eagerly await a potential third matchup between the
flyweight rivals.
Della Maddalena Upsets Holland
One of the most anticipated fights of the card ultimately left fans
wanting much more than they received. Two of the welterweight
division’s most skilled strikers, Jack
Della Maddalena and Kevin
Holland, fought at a sparring pace and left the decision in
doubt.
Ultimately Della Maddalena was awarded the split decision nod
(29-28, 28-29, 28-29) but you’d be hard-pressed to explain why.
Neither guy separated themselves as Della Maddalena (16-2) fell
short with most of his shots and Holland (25-10) was hesitant to
showcase the power that ended 14 of his opponents. The co-main
event was a snoozer between two guys who usually bring the
fireworks.
Rosas Jr. Rebounds Emphatically
The UFC’s youngest prospect returned to the win column in a big way
as 18-year-old Raul Rosas
Jr. starched Terrence
Mitchell 54 seconds into their bantamweight battle. Despite
being 15 years his senior, Mitchell used none of his experience or
wisdom when he raced to center cage and initiated a fire fight.
Rosas responded with a thunderous hook that dropped the Alaskan. As
Mitchell tried to get back to his feet, the young phenom took his
back and ended the fight with a barrage of punches. After taking
the first loss of his career last April, Rosas reignited the hype
train behind him with the fastest finish of the night.
Zellhuber Turns Tables on Giagos
If you blinked at the wrong time you might’ve missed Daniel
Zellhuber flip the script on Christos
Giagos in their lightweight clash.
Giagos may have started the fight strong with sharp punches, but he
was shocked as everyone else after Zellhuber (14-1) turned his
ill-timed shot into a sleek, sexy anaconda that forced Giagos to
tap at the 3:26 mark of the second round.
At 6-foot-1, Zellhuber literally looms large in a stacked
lightweight division. With the length to give anyone an awkward
look and the grappling to keep the best honest, “The Golden Boy”
could be in for some intriguing matchups down the line.
Nelson Denies Pro-Padilla Crowd
Kyle
Nelson feels like he’s on top of the world right now. After
securing his second straight UFC win over Fernando
Padilla, “The Monster” announced he was expecting a child soon.
The pro-Mexican fans were displeased with Nelson’s unanimous
decision win (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) but Nelson has made a name for
himself as a live dog by taking out favorites recently.
In his last outing, Nelson handed Blake
Bilder his first loss and had little problems exposing the
holes in Padilla’s game. Padilla won most of the early exchanges
but a lack of footwork and head movement made him susceptible to
Nelson’s counters. Heading into round three seemingly tied on the
cards, Nelson’s lateral movement opened up his kicks, punches and a
route up the featherweight standings.
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