Alexa Grasso, Valentina Shevchenko glimpse forward to novel blood after UFC 306 trilogy is total

When UFC women people’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko total a trilogy later this twelve months, it needs to be the closing time they meet. After that? Both fighters rely on to welcome novel challengers.

That, of direction, will rely on the raze consequence of their Sept. 14 showdown at the Sphere in Las Vegas, which would possibly well perhaps headline UFC 306. The battle will design shut suppose on the heels of Grasso and Shevchenko instructing this season of “The Closing Fighter,” which filmed earlier this twelve months and premiered this previous Tuesday on ESPN and ESPN+.

In two earlier encounters, Grasso (16-3-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) scored an all-time upset when she claimed the title from Shevchenko (23-4-1 MMA, 12-3-1 UFC) with a fourth-spherical submission in March 2023 at UFC 285. Six months later, the two fought to a hotly debated split design of their rematch at Noche UFC. Wanting a clear winner in the trilogy, this needs to be it for Grasso and Shevchenko, who each glimpse forward to novel blood in the fabricate of top contender Manon Fiorot or the winner of subsequent month’s Maycee Barber vs. Rose Namajunas well-known event at UFC Strive in opposition to Evening in Denver. Erin Blanchfield would possibly well perhaps furthermore be in the mix despite shedding to Fiorot in March, reckoning on timing and conditions.

Fiorot, who is riding a 12-battle winning dart after support-to-support wins over Namajunas and Blanchfield, figures to be in pole suppose among those names.

“Merely now, at this moment after (our) battle, Manon and Erin. I believe Manon is on this list,” Shevchenko told MMA Junkie. “Nonetheless anything else can happen for this time. Nonetheless now we assemble beyond regular time, esteem three months, a petite bit bit extra after we leisure a petite bit bit. Something else can happen, nevertheless at this moment, I would dispute battle Manon, and Erin introduced Manon in this suppose.”

Fiorot (12-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) is undoubtedly a matchup that Grasso would bask in given the pairing of styles.

“If I even assemble to battle her, that will most certainly be awesome,” Grasso told MMA Junkie. “She’s enormous, she’s solid, she has heaps of lawful inserting. So, for me, it’s in most cases a excellent battle.”

No longer to be forgotten, despite the proven reality that, is Barber (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC). The 26-twelve months-extinct, who as soon as promised to be the youngest UFC champion of all time, has come into her possess, at designate on a six-battle winning dart in opposition to elevated competition. Ought to she in discovering previous Namajunas with a formidable performance, it can well perhaps consequence in a rematch with Grasso, who beat her by unanimous decision in February 2021.

That’s a consequence Barber hasn’t gotten over, and he or she’s let or no longer it’s identified – which is no enormous deal to the champ.

“That’s OK. All of us assemble to manufacture noise to be there,” Grasso talked about. “Nonetheless yeah, if there’s a moment she’s the contender and I’m the champion, we’re gonna battle yet again.”