Valentina Shevchenko will look to continue her reign of terror in March. The UFC women’s flyweight champion is set to defend her crown against a deserving challenger in the form of Alexa Grasso. The two are set to meet at UFC 285 alongside Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC heavyweight championship.
News of the title defense was first reported by ESPN Deportes. The UFC women’s flyweight championship is expected to be the co-main event of UFC 285, barring the addition of another title fight to the card.
Shevchenko (23-3) will make the eighth defense of her UFC women’s flyweight championship, more than four years after winning the vacant title against Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Shevchenko is undefeated in nine fights but is coming off a split decision win over Talia Santos in June, the most competitive fight of her nearly flawless title reign. Shevchenko has not lost a fight since a contentious split decision to Amanda Nunes for the UFC bantamweight championship in 2017.
Grasso (15-3) is beginning to put the pieces together at a high level. Following a majority decision loss to two-time UFC women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza — a bout that earned Fight of the Night honors — Grasso made a wise move to flyweight. She is on a perfect 4-0 run in her new weight class and is ranked No. 4 in the division.
