UFC is returning this weekend Wuth UTC Noche, on the event of the Mexican Independence Day with a twist- being a rare non-PPV event which will head to the T-Mobile Arena on 16th September with another attractive fight card, headlined by the much awaited rematch between the Mexican champion Alexa Grasso and the former titleholder Valentina Shevchenko, with Grasso’s Women’s Flyweight gold at stake.
The main event is an immediate rematch to Grasso and Shevchenko’s first encounter which took place at UFC 285 back in March. At that time, “Bullet” had been the reigning champion and was a favourite to win over Grasso, but the Mexican shocked the MMA fandom with a fourth round submission victory, ending Shevchenko’s title reign of nearly four years and clinching the 125-pound belt.
“I always said that making history is never easy. But I’ve been working so hard every single day of my life to be at this moment,” said Grasso at the Media Day on Wednesday. “I don’t think [I’d] call it pressure. I think it’s more motivation. We have done so much in the sport. We’ve been evolving so hard and this keeps me with tons of motivation to keep the belt in Mexico.”
“Right now, I’m a person who’s motivated to get rid of that feeling back then in March,” Shevchenko commented. “I’m determined on what I have to do this Saturday. That’s my mindset. I don’t watch back. Everything I had to take from the fight I took. Now it’s strong energy, positive energy, no mercy.”
Let’s compare the fight metrics:
Alexa Grasso
Significant Strikes Landed per Minute: 4.88
Significant Striking Accuracy: 43%
Significant Strikes Absorbed per Minute: 4.07
Significant Strike Defence (the % of opponents strikes that did not land): 59%
Average Takedowns Landed per 15 minutes: 0.38
Takedown Accuracy: 44%
Takedown Defense (the % of opponents TD attempts that did not land): 61%
Average Submissions Attempted per 15 minutes: 0.6
Valentina Shevchenko
Significant Strikes Landed per Minute: 3.29
Significant Striking Accuracy: 53%
Significant Strikes Absorbed per Minute: 1.99
Significant Strike Defence (the % of opponents strikes that did not land): 63%
Average Takedowns Landed per 15 minutes: 2.57
Takedown Accuracy: 64%
Takedown Defense (the % of opponents TD attempts that did not land): 72%
Average Submissions Attempted per 15 minutes: 0.3
UFC Noche Betting Odds and Prediction
Main Card
Women’s Flyweight Main Event: Alexa Grasso (c) (2.30) vs. Valentina Shevchenko (1.61)
Prediction: Valentina Shevchenko wins
Welterweight: Jack Della Maddalena (1.83) vs. Kevin Holland (1.95)
Prediction: Kevin Holland Wins
Bantamweight: Terrence Mitchell (6.00) vs. Raul Rosas Jr. (1.12)
Prediction: Raul Rosas Jr. wins
Lightweight: Christos Giagos (3.10) vs. Daniel Zellhuber (1.36)
Prediction: Daniel Zellhuber wins
Featherweight: Fernando Padilla (1.40) vs. Kyle Nelson (3.00)
Prediction: Fernando Padilla wins
Prelims
Women’s Strawweight: Loopy Godinez (1.25) vs. Elise Reed (4.00)
Prediction: Loopy Godinez wins
Middleweight: Josh Fremd (3.60) vs. Roman Kopylov (1.28)
Prediction: Roman Kopylov wins
Flyweight: Edgar Chairez (1.44) vs. Daniel Lacerda (2.80)
Prediction: Edgar Chairez wins
Women’s Flyweight: Tracy Cortez (1.83) vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius (1.95)
Prediction: Jasmine Jasudavicius wins
Lightweight: Alex Reyes (5.00) vs. Charlie Campbell (1.18)
Prediction: Charlie Campbell wins
Women’s Strawweight: Josefine Lindgren Knutsson (1.15) vs. Marnic Mann (5.50)
Prediction: Josefine Lindgren Knutsson wins
Click here to bet on this fight card.