‘I Would Love To Welcome Her!’ Zhang = ‘Dream Fight’ For Grasso
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Alexa Grasso wants all the big fights while she’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight queenpin.
Noche UFC’s main event will see Grasso look to finally put her rivalry with former champion, Valentina Shevchenko, to bed in their trilogy next weekend (Sat., Sept. 14, 2024). The pair of 125-pound greats are 1-0-1 in their series with Grasso up on the score.
As the Strawweight champion, Zhang Weili, has continued to succeed and defend her title in recent years, the thought of a move up in weight has been briefly kicked around. However, if such a thing becomes possible, the former Strawweight-turned-Flyweight champion, Grasso, would love it more than anything else.
‘’Weili Zhang is my dream fight,” Grasso told Stake. “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.’’
Unlike most other champions who pursue champion vs. champion bouts, Grasso wants to be the one to defend rather than hold two titles. Well, to an extent.
Double champ status would be great, says Grasso. She just happens to be in a unique spot with teammates above and below her. Therefore, loyalty comes first.
“I would love to be a two-weight world champion, it is such a big question and goal for me,” Grasso said. “However, I have friends in the upper weight classes such as [Lupita] ‘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.’’
First thing’s first for Mexico’s lone champion, and that’s Shevchenko. After that, Grasso expects another title defense against a Flyweight contender rather than her big dream match up.
“I’m not the one who chooses these things, I think Manon Fiorot is more deserving of the title shot than Rose [Namujunas],” Grasso said. “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.’’
