Ahead of her matchup, Grasso chatted with Stake.com, where she covered a range of topics, including her standing in the history of the women’s flyweight division, her rivalry with Shevchenko, and what other career goals she still has in MMA.
Grasso on… becoming the greatest women’s flyweight of all time
“I’m not the one who choses that title, but to be the greatest is the goal. I’ve been working hard to improve and get better every single day. Every fight I am getting better and I would love to be recognised for that.
“This will be the first ever event at The Sphere, but there is still a long journey to go and I am focused on the fight ahead of me. For me I just want to keep winning and defending my belts for as long as I can and making history. The journey has only started for me.”
Grasso on… her “love-hate relationship” with Shevchenko
“It’s like a love-hate relationship between me and Valentina. I have been watching her career since I was very young. She has been a role model for all the women and has done so much for the sport – not just for the women but for the men also. It’s pretty cool to be able to be on the same level as her.
“We did The Ultimate fighter and had two really cool fights together. The second fight was a hell of a fight, just imagine what the third fight would be like! We are both very professional and have been working so hard every day. To be the first female Mexican champion is huge for me and I’m proud of all the work I have done. The day of the fight will be different in there because we are going to kill each other, but it is cool to have such a competitor in Valentina.”
Grasso on… always having her sights set on challenging Shevchenko
“Even when I was a nobody in the flyweight division, Valentina Shevchenko was
always the goal. My first fight I was going for a spot in the Top 15 ranked fighters, then the top 10, and then the Top 5. When we finally got the call to fight for the title, we were ready and had been training for so long. We knew how to win the fight. We had an amazing fight camp and fight week.
“I wanted to test my striking with her because I consider myself a great striker and she has won a lot of Muay Thai Championships so I wanted to prove something. However she wanted to go to the ground and in the fourth round I was ready for her spinning back kick and I wanted to pounce. She did it in the first round but i was not in range to take her down, but in the fourth it was perfect for me. I was working on that rear naked choke every day in training and I was finally able to do it on the night.”
Grasso on… the controversial draw in the rematch and potentially retiring Shevchenko
“I thought I won the rematch, I believe I did enough. I was able to take her back and hit her a lot of times and she froze a little bit. I also scored the knockdown, but at the end of the day it is up to the judges. The only thing I can do now is work harder and not leave it to the judges.
“I am not the one who should say these things (retiring Shevchenko), it depends on the fight, but retirement will only be up to Valentina.”
Grasso on… her dream fight, and cleaning out the division
“I would like to clear out the whole flyweight division, but my focus is on Valentina right now.
“Weili Zhang is my dream fight. It will be one of my biggest fights to date. She is strong, powerful and well rounded. She is a great fighter and I even heard she would love to test herself at 125, so I would love to welcome her.
“I’m not the one who chooses these things, I think Manon Fiorot is more deserving of the title shot than Rose. She has been in the division longer and she has a bigger win streak. She was also next in line before she got injured, so I would like to fight Fiorot.”
Grasso on… potential two-division glory
“I would love to be a two weight world champion – it is such a big question and goal for me. However, I have friends in the upper weight classes such as Loopy Godinez in the strawweight division and Irene Aldana in the bantamweight division and our team’s goal is to all be champions in each of our weight classes so I would have to pause that dream for now.”
Grasso on… the growth of Mexican MMA
“It has been a long journey for all the Mexican fighters. Some made it and some didn’t. This last generation of fighters have been really successful and it is really cool to be a part of with the likes of Brandon Moreno – who was the first Mexican Champion of the UFC.
“It is really cool to be an inspiration for the kids who are training in MMA and wanting to be the next champions. Right now Jiu Jitsu tournaments are full, a few years ago there were no girls. It was just me fighting my teammates. But now, so many are participating and MMA leagues in Mexico have about three female fights in each card now. Some even have main events fights which feature women so it is really cool to see this evolution in my country, as we have been working so hard to represent our flag.”
