Alexa Grasso retains her title in UFC War

Saturday was Mexican Independence Day and what a way to celebrate the occasion by having a women’s flyweight title match. The match the fans got was one for the ages as Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko put on an instant classic. The fight came down to a controversial judging blunder. Junichiro Kamijo had it 48-47 for Grasso. Sal D’Amato had it 48-47 for Shevchenko. And Mike Bell scored it 47-47, having it as a draw. He had Shevchenko up three rounds to one after four but scored the final round 10-8 for Grasso making it a draw. The fight was a difficult one to score with the action being so back and forth, but calling the last round 10-8 was a terrible mistake. Shevchenko had the advantage early in the final round, but Grasso took her down and scored heavily with ground-and-pound. She also worked for submissions and took away Shevchenko’s offense in the final stretch of the fight. Grasso's late surge won her the round but it was a 10-9 not a 10-8 type of round. “In a fair competition, victory would be mine,” Shevchenko said. Shevchenko blamed the decision on Mexican Independence Day being that Grasso is UFC’s first mexican born women’s champion and the fans and card was built around her heritage. It was an odd ending to a hard-fought fight, especially with so much at stake. Shevchenko will protest for a rematch. However, UFC could dub that idea and put their young star Erin Blanchfield in there. Putting two fan favorites in the ring Grasso and Blanchfield. As for Shevchenko being the warrior she is, she would want the rematch. An idea that has been floated is possibly giving her a returning Ronda Rousey at UFC 300.