You’d have to go back to 2014 to find the last time Alexa
Grasso finished a professional mixed martial arts bout, but the
Lobo Gym MMA product’s stoppage of Joanne Wood
on Saturday was far more significant for her career.
Grasso defeated Wood via rear-naked choke at the 3:57 mark of Round
1 in the UFC on ESPN 33 co-main event on Saturday at the Nationwide
Arena in Columbus, Ohio, for her third consecutive triumph in the
promotion at 125 pounds.
“It feels amazing. Finally, three wins [in a row] in the UFC and my
first finish – my first submission on my record,” Grasso said at
the post-fight press conference.
Prior to Saturday, all five of Grasso’s previous UFC victories had
gone the distance. That wasn’t by design.
“Of course, as a fighter you always want to finish a fight,” she
said. “It took a long time … but now I feel great. As I’m getting
older, too, I feel more mature – my mind, my body, and my fight
game.”
Grasso has always been best known for her boxing, which she
acknowledged during the post-fight media session. However, she has
also been working diligently to become more of a submission threat,
which she showed by choking out Wood.
“This is a place that we wanted to explore, also because, as I say,
my last fights, I’ve been trying to show my skills on the ground,”
Grasso said. “I wanted to show I’m also still learning. I’m not
just a striker. I want to show everyone I’m also a finisher on the
ground. My jiu-jitsu is evolving.
“…I love boxing. I love my hands. I love to do technique so clean,
that’s my favorite thing,” she added. “Now I don’t just trust in my
hands, I trust in my ground game.”
After an up-and-down tenure as a strawweight, Grasso appears to
have found a home at 125 pounds with a 3-0 mark. It’s a division
where winning streaks such as hers get noticed, especially since
Valentina
Shevchenko continues to clean out the weight class.
“This (a title shot) will be a dream come true,” Grasso said of the
potential opportunity. “Since I’m not injured right now, I’ll come
back to the gym and keep training just to be ready.”
Grasso is well aware of the challenge that Shevchenko, currently
ranked No. 1 in Sherdog.com’s female pound-for-pound rankings,
presents.
“Having a champion like that, it’s always a challenge for all
athletes because we have to do everything perfect,” Grasso said.
“That’s what I’ve been doing. I love crisp technique. I love sharp
technique. I think that’s going to be the key.”