Alexa Grasso Struggled to Punch Valentina Shevchenko Due to Injury: “I’m happy my body heals really well.”

Mexico’s Alexa Grasso suffered a severe injury that required surgery after he last championship bout against Valentina Shevchenko. After surgery and recovery, she is hungry to defend her crown at Noche UFC live from The Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko At UFC 306

Alexa Grasso and ‘Bullet‘ Valentina Shevchenko have met twice before. Their first fight saw Grasso end the dominant title reign of the Kyrgyz-Peruvian Shevchenko with a painful face crank. Next, the two athletes fought to a split draw. Shevchenko complained about the judge being biased toward the Mexican-born fighter as it was a Mexican holiday.

Now, at UFC 306, they will settle their trilogy at Noche UFC this weekend. Speaking to the media, Alexa Grasso discussed her hand injury after their last bout. She explained:

“I had an injury in the fight, I needed surgery. It took me like a few months. My hands are my strongest weapon, you know. I love to box and it was really hard, honestly. But right now, it’s fully healed and I’m ready for that. I’m happy my body heals really well.

“(It’s) a competitive, professional relationship. Like I said before, we’re both professional. We’re here to do our job, we love to compete, and we just found that fighting each other is really, really tough and amazing.”

Shevchenko and Grasso coached a season of The Ultimate Fighter against each other and now will meet in the UFC octagon to finish their series. They will be the co-main event on September 14. The UFC 306 main event will see ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley look to defend his bantamweight title against the relentless cardio machine Merab Dvalishvili.

Alexa Grasso also discussed some of the movies that will be broadcast in The Sphere as a celebration of Mexico’s history. The Mexican-born champion Grasso said she loves each film that has been put together.