The common expression “citizen of the world” often turns out to be nothing more than a cliché designed to show that this or that person is a welcome guest in various parts of the planet. But in the case of Valentina Shevchenko, the exaggeration will be quite small. She was born in Bishkek, then still Soviet Frunze and now the capital of independent Kyrgyzstan. In Russia, Shevchenko has a large number of sports titles – from master of sports in boxing to MSMK in taekwondo and muay Thai. And after moving to Peru, Valentina gained many followers in South America.
Therefore, her rematch with Alexa Grasso was expected all over the world as part of the martial arts evening UFC Fight Night 227. In March of this year, in a duel with the same opponent, Shevchenko lost the flyweight championship belt. , caught in a choke in the fourth round. It seemed to many that the outcome of that fight was partly an unfortunate accident. And now, just over six months later, Valentina has the opportunity to get revenge on Grasso and return the coveted belt to him.
In the first round, the rivals tried to act with minimal risk. There was a sense of a slight advantage for Valentina, but Alexa, once on the canvas, was able to escape Shevchenko’s tenacious hands and avoid more serious consequences. Subsequently, the initiative in the duel changed hands more than once. In the second leg, Grasso made an excellent shot and Valentina had to hold back so as not to lose for the second consecutive time to the Mexican ahead of schedule.
Photo source: UFC
Thus, in mutual attacks, the rivals reached the final round, which was to provide answers to all questions. But in the end I got even more confused. There is no doubt that the final segment ultimately belonged to Grasso. Shevchenko herself is largely to blame for this. However, the judges’ final verdict left many doubts.
Once the fight was over, both competitors were completely confident in their victory. And this was not empty bravado: both had good periods of battle, allowing each to believe that it was she who became the best in this confrontation. Therefore, when the judges’ final decision was a tie, the confusion on the faces of Shevchenko and Grasso was visible to the naked eye.
The published judges’ notes answered the question where this generally unusual result for mixed martial arts came from. Mike Bell, like his teammates, gave the last round to Grasso. Also, with a clear advantage: not one, but two points. And it was in his note that that same tie arose that, with the divided opinions of the other two judges, did not allow the winner to be identified. This result favored Grasso: the current holder of the belt retained the title. Therefore, Shevchenko clearly had more reasons for discontent.
After the fight, Valentina said she was sure she won the fight. And the judge’s decision is nothing more than a gift from Grasso for Mexican Independence Day. So this result only increased Shevchenko’s sporting anger. And there is no doubt that in the near future he will try again to regain the title he lost this spring.
