Grasso and the GOAT

Over the years, what combat sports and especially the UFC have taught me is that anything is possible, and you cannot count anything out. This was no more demonstrated than at UFC285, where a new and an old star shone as bright as ever.

Alexa Grasso and Jon Bones Jones, are two stars at very opposite ends of weight, size, and careers, yet their names will forever be connected in history due to this one day and one event in time where they both completed an impossible dream.

It was almost fitting that the main and co-main events were quite different, but both epitomised how the UFC and combat sports often throw up such differing stories and journeys, yet despite the differences, can still be very relatable.

The UFC’s universal and undisputed goat, although was an overwhelming favourite against Cyril Gane, nobody expected it to be a walkover.

Gane was a unique specimen who has beaten all contenders before him with brutal power and ferocity, to match any heavyweight, but with the agility and movement of a middleweight.

His only defeat was to the now departed heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, and that was via points. Nobody had been close to stopping him.

So, although Jones was a big favourite in most people’s eyes, there were still questions.

Questions are certainly what was ahead of young Mexican puncher Alexia Grasso as she headed into her title fight with Valentina Shevchenko, the universally recognised pound-for-pound queen of the UFC’s woman’s division.

She had convincingly taken out every opponent before her with seven title defences.

However, cracks had formed as in her last title defence, many people, including myself, thought she lost to Taila Santos, instead she won via a split points decision.

Maybe it was the negative way Santos tried to see out the last few rounds, that turned the judges off, giving Shevchenko the victory.

This is what Grasso had ahead of her, but make no mistake, regardless of the Santos fight, it was a monumental task ahead of her.

Grasso was on a four-fight win streak since she moved up to flyweight and few gave her a chance. Coming into this fight, Shevchenko was on a 12-fight winning streak and after her somewhat controversial win over Santos, she was looking to make a statement, the stakes could no have been any higher or intense.

Jones had been out for three years. moving up to heavyweight, and he has packed on a lot of muscle mass, we all wondered, how will ring rust be a factor?

How will he adapt to fighting with the extra weight? Will he be as good? How will he take a shot from a heavyweight? Can he move like he used to?

The funny thing is, in his just over a 2-minute return, none of these questions were really answered. Jones admitted he felt off with the striking in the first minute, which is to be expected after being out for three years.

However, he did not get hit once, apart from a nut shot. Other than that, he walked Gane down, got hold of him, dragged him down, and used his undoubted power and weight and his wrestling skills.

Which he always had and will have, to choke a shocked and overwhelmed Gane out in under three minutes to become a UFC two-weight champion.

He couldn’t have written it better, well, apart from the shot to the groin, which he even stated he was overacting just to bring it to the ref’s attention and compose himself a bit more, classic vets move.

But to return after three years out of the octagon to claim the heavyweight title without even taking a shot of any significance is legendary.

It was vastly different in the women’s flyweight title fight. Grasso had shown her slick and accurate boxing to take the first round, but like a true champion, Shevchenko adjusted and used her wrestling to take Grasso down and win the next two rounds.

Just as it was looking like another dominant win, Shevchenko made one mistake, going for the spinning back kick, something Grasso explained she trained for.

The way she anticipated it and jumped on her back in an instant and locked the chose in, almost in one motion, you cannot say she was lying.

With her improved ground game, she took Shevchenko’s back, and although the champ had some resistance, Grasso managed to sink the choke in and squeezed, and squeezed, until Shevchenko tapped, thus, realising a dream for Grasso, who became the first Mexican female to win a UFC title.

I couldn’t be happier for her and making history as Mexico’s first female UFC champion. However, although there is no doubt that she will fully enjoy this moment and her newfound mega fame in the next few months.

She will not take anything for granted, especially as Shevchenko has stated she will look for an immediate rematch, which Grasso has acknowledged. Who knows, a massive first defence in Mexico could be a possibility, which will certainly do numbers, and no more than the new champ deserves.

Speaking of deserving, Jones, now the undisputed universal goat is high up in that category. Naturally, there will be tougher tests and he already called out the UFC’s best heavyweight in history Stipe Miocic, who has seemed to accept the challenge.

This will be an interesting fight, and Jones will hope to get rid of his ring rust in this fight as Miocic will look to cement his legacy.

But until then. Jones will dine out on this historic achievement, another in a long line for him the in UFC.

But this could well, and most probably top the lot, thus solidifying that undisputed GOAT status. Long live the king.