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UFC 315: Alexa Grasso media day interview
UFC 315 fighter Natalia Silva spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters at media day for her main card bout vs. Alexa Grasso.
MONTREAL – For two years straight and three training camps, Alexa Grasso had only one opponent to think about.
Saturday at UFC 315 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at Bell Centre in Montreal, Grasso (16-4-1 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC) at long last will focus on someone not named Valentina Shevchenko when she takes on Natalia Silva (18-5-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC).
After she won her fourth straight fight in October 2022, Grasso started thinking about a potential shot at Shevchenko. She got it in March 2023 and pulled off a submission upset.
A champ with Shevchenko’s history warrants a rematch, which resulted in a draw in September 2023. A full year later, this past fall, Shevchenko took the title back. Coincidentally, she’ll defend the title in her second reign two fights later against Manon Fiorot.
But as far as Grasso is concerned, even though she’s not the champ anymore, the change of pace might serve as a kickstart toward another flyweight title run.
“It’s good to have a new opponent,” Grasso said at Wednesday’s UFC 315 media day. “It’s a great challenge. She has a background in taekwondo. She kicks a lot and she moves a lot, so I think it’s going to be a super exciting fight. She shines with her legs, I shine with my hands, so it’s going to be a beautiful war.”
In Silva, Grasso takes on a Brazilian who has yet to taste defeat in the UFC. In her most recent outing, she beat former strawweight champ Jessica Andrade and no doubt would like nothing more than another ex-titleholder on her resume.
But Grasso isn’t shying away from what’s in front of her. Silva is more than a 2-1 favorite in the fight, and Grasso as an underdog is rare.
“It’s always like climbing a new mountain,” she said. “You get to the top and you realize there’s another one and another one. It’s good to be a contender again, to try to fight for that place. I’m just training super hard.”
Check out Grasso’s full media day interview above.
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