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00:01It is two versus three in the women's division at 125 pounds, but known if you're three years
00:06older than the former champ, Alexa Grasso, you're two inches taller at five feet, seven
00:11inches, one inch edge in reach, here's with Grasso.
00:15For the official introductions, here is Bruce Buffett.
00:19Ladies and gentlemen, this fight is three rounds in the UFC Flyweight Division.
00:25Introducing first, fighting out of the blue corner, a striker holding a professional
00:32record, 17 wins, five losses, one draw, she stands, five feet, five inches tall, weighing
00:39in at 125 pounds, fighting out of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, presenting the former UFC
00:51Flyweight Champion, and the number three ranked UFC Flyweight Contender in the world, Alexa Grasso!
01:09And now, introducing her opponent, fighting out of the red corner, a big martial artist,
01:17holding professional record, 13 wins, two losses, she stands, five feet, seven inches tall, weighing
01:24in at 125 pounds, fighting out of Guadalajara, presenting the number two ranked UFC Flyweight Contender
01:35in the world, Manon the Beast, Fior!
01:44And when the action begins, our referee in charge, Blake Grice.
01:48So Blake Grice back inside the octagon, Hannah and Mariel are two festive octagon girls here
01:57at Noche UFC.
01:59Year four, it was started with Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko in Las Vegas back in
02:052023.
02:06The second edition was obviously at Spear, UFC 306.
02:11Here we are in year four in Glendale, Arizona.
02:23Starts early.
02:26Brasso is fast and aggressive.
02:28She is getting after it.
02:30That was very weird the way Fior dealt with that onslaught.
02:35Her chin was up the air.
02:36Another combination for Grasso.
02:38Grasso is becoming in heavy with the boxing and getting right past the kicks.
02:42Look at the shin of Fior.
02:44Her chin is already just blasting.
02:46It's pretty swollen.
02:47Fior!
02:48Fior!
02:49Fior!
02:50Fior!
02:50Fior!
02:51Fior!
02:51Oh!
02:52She is hurting the look.
02:54Grasso is very aggressive.
02:55So on the mission tonight.
02:56Wands a big punch again.
02:59And we haven't seen this from Manon Fior since she joined the UFC.
03:03Well, she has not been blitzed like this.
03:05Well, Grasso came out heavy early.
03:07Like, she generally takes her time.
03:09She is not doing that tonight.
03:12Today.
03:14Look at the swelling on the front of Fior's leg already.
03:19Oh, my gosh.
03:20And bunches and bunches for Grasso.
03:22Grasso's fast tonight.
03:24Looks like Fior came out, like, not warmed up almost,
03:27the way Grasso is just...
03:28I mean, she is getting beat up right now.
03:31Even that nice jab, no?
03:33It's the boxing of Grasso right now that she's cutting through into the pocket.
03:38And Fior's boxing is not matching up well.
03:42Fior looks a little stiff right now.
03:44Ooh, that was a nice combo.
03:45Left hand gets through from Manon Fior, but she's still backing up and looking for more space.
03:49The pressure from Grasso is the problem.
03:52She's heading her off.
03:53She's not following.
03:54That takes away the kicking ability because you got Fior on the back foot.
03:57Nice hook there.
03:58Wow.
03:58That kick was fast, but Grasso's just stepping through her shots aggressively.
04:02Yeah, she's just walking through and she's trying to throw.
04:04More aggressive than normal, right?
04:06Way more aggressive than normal.
04:11Makes you wonder, is that the game plan or is it just that Grasso's that ready right
04:15now, that confident after the last knockout?
04:17Because she never comes out this aggressive in my experience watching her.
04:21You're Alexa Grasso.
04:22You had lost two fights in a row.
04:24People are kind of writing you off.
04:25They put you in there with Macy Barber and you do that.
04:29True.
04:29That just really does spring you forward and it raises you up.
04:34And now she has the same type of confidence she had whenever she became one chip.
04:39And again, as Benoan Fiorin retreats.
04:42I think, Don, you touched on this.
04:44I think this is probably so important and I don't want to skim over it.
04:47Is the fact that she is so close, she's keeping her out of kicking range.
04:51Yeah, that's a problem.
04:52Benoan needs to kick.
04:54She does.
04:54That's how she finds her range and that's how she sets up her hands.
04:57Whereas Grasso doesn't need the kick.
04:59She's got good boxing.
05:00And so it's just a contrast of styles, really.
05:03Fiora's going to have to bite down on that mouthpiece and do more of that.
05:06Yep.
05:06She needs the boxing.
05:07You've got to box Grasso.
05:09You've got to pressure her and box her and then follow your boxing with kicks.
05:11Oh, nice left hand by Fiora.
05:12Fiora's landing a couple now.
05:14Yeah, now she's letting her hands go and that will set up her kicks.
05:17She's settling into the fight a little bit.
05:19She had to get beat up a little.
05:21She woke up.
05:23Oh, they throw at the same time, each sitting into those punches.
05:28Grasso looks good tonight.
05:30That is what Manon Fiora wants to do.
05:32Yep.
05:32She wants to have you at that range.
05:37And I think also we see that now Fiora can't really fight well moving back.
05:42You want to move her back if you want success.
05:44The second she started moving forward, she's finding success.
05:48But that right hook with Grasso just keeps clipping her.
05:57Now Alexa started off very fast.
06:00But she's got to try to keep that.
06:01Because the moment when Fiora starts feeling comfortable, she has a handful to deal with.
06:07Counter attack there by Grasso.
06:10If you're now in the center of the octagon where she wants to fight Abel to go forward.
06:27Oh!
06:29That right hook!
06:29That right hook!
06:30That right hook!
06:30You're back!
06:31She leans into it, DC.
06:33That bladed stance makes her lean into that right hook.
06:35That right hook you were talking about, Dom.
06:37Nasty right hook drop there.
06:39And now, relatively short time and under 30 to go.
06:43Guard close for Phil, who's in danger after taking one flush to the chin.
06:48Alexa Grasso is on fire right now.
06:50This is the version of Grasso that everybody knows is in her,
06:54but she's showing up tonight.
06:56You've got to be willing to take chances.
06:58She did that.
06:58She came out the gate blitzing.
07:00And now look at this.
07:01Look at the end of the round.
07:02And aggressive to the final horn.
07:13There you go, Dom.
07:14Look at that.
07:15That right hook you were talking about.
07:17Bink right on the chin.
07:18Saturday.
07:19Drops Manol Fior to end the round.
07:22And really put an exclamation point on this round.
07:2530-second break.
07:26Round two after this.
07:28Be times as soon as it is over.
07:41But theО, and this is in control of the front of place.
07:54That's true.
07:55They're the two.
08:07right back to action just when it looked like grasso was starting to slow down and not be
08:11as aggressive she has the biggest moment in the first five minutes
08:18so what i think's happening is that right sidekick of fioris giving grasso the right hook because
08:25she's so bladed and her left hand is not coming up to defend her chin when she throws that sidekick
08:30and see how she leans towards the weak side and that's giving the right hook to grasso
08:50long combinations are going to favor grasso moving in this fight finish all your combinations
08:54with the hook keep finishing your combos with the hook and you'll find success because
08:58that bladed stance and the sidekick fiori not lifting her left hand she's keeping it low
09:06tonight's social media posts are brought to you by threads for conversations happening inside and
09:10outside the octagon take it to threads
09:14but no need to do more of this more kicks keeping alexa away from her she's the bigger fighter she's
09:20longer but she doesn't have the boxing that grasso has she cannot fight her in boxing range
09:30with her heavy exchange in close
09:32with her heavy exchange in close
09:42also a boxer first after uncle francisco still in the lead corner open to jim she turned pro as a
09:49fighter at 19 years old back in 2012 and the UFC debut 10 years ago
09:54she's too she's way sharper in the boxing exchanges
09:57but no's kind of looping her punches and alexa's throwing everything straight outside of that right hook to end her
10:04combinations
10:04she's seeing that right hook though she knows it landed and she's finishing her combos with that hook each time
10:10grasso
10:11oh there it goes again one two three just keep throwing that one two three it's landing every time
10:17but you wonder why she isn't kicking a little bit no down right i agree if you're just predominantly boxing
10:22you become one-dimensional she needs to try to throw
10:24some kicks because right now she's ahead of manol well with that bladed stance too the cap kicks are there
10:30for the taking for grasso but
10:32she's just it's just not part of the arsenal that she's using right now well whenever you're having the amount
10:36of success she's having with her hands it's hard
10:39to want to change it up also maybe going to the body you know the head hunting starts to add
10:44up
10:45fiora can start to see that but so far that one two three is just doing dividends there it is
10:58fiora now is trying to take the center a little bit she's tough fiora
11:02and she's taking quite a beating in that first round and she looks stiff but she's also still very powerful
11:08yeah she's in the fight all the time well i think when she throws now but down she throws
11:14and retreats because she's been hit so many times watch when she throws her jack
11:18see how she throws and almost like retreats away from alexa that could become an issue for her if she's
11:24not careful
11:27one two from fiora now fiora's having a much better robinson
11:47she mixed it up there alexa mixed it up there she was finishing her combos with the right hook
11:52there that time she went jab right hook then left hand to try to give her a different feel
11:57but i mean fiora's feet across and she's almost lunging into her punches right now
12:15fiora continues to offer that right kick up top
12:21predominantly boxing from grasso it's worked so far into the final minute of round two
12:30but a nice response from fior after the late knockdown in round one here in the second
12:40i have to see some body work out of grasso to start opening up the head shots
12:45oh there it is another nice kick by fiora
12:50oh trying to keep me on the way in instead of it's grosso that got the better of that exchange
12:54so we're going to right hands
12:57roster's cut now
13:02and another pitch forward
13:05punches and numbers
13:06elbow traded nice on that one ate some shots in the pocket
13:14an action-packed round number two we're back we're round three after this
13:20the fire's dead i think it's over excuse me it's never over just because your team is 110
13:28percent going to lose that doesn't mean you can't still 100 care at least 98
13:33sure this game might look like a blowout but you've got betmgm on your phone
13:36you want interesting you make it interesting
13:41did you do that no trevor you did
13:43what time betmgm make it legendary
13:53maybe laughter isn't the best medicine
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14:05flare and barker weekdays on sportsnet 360 or listen wherever you get your podcasts
14:10warning the following program contains extreme sports and violence and may not be appropriate
14:15for younger viewers viewer discretion advised
14:24next saturday the ufc takes over los angeles with another epic night on paramount plus headlined by
14:30joshua van defending his flyweight belt and a championship rematch with alishandre pantoja
14:34ufc 331 next saturday night eastern only on paramount plus go to ufc.com watch if you're outside the u
14:40.s
14:41the high stakes down the stretch at 125 pounds a new champion will be crowned in just weeks
14:48and safe to say the winner of this one puts themselves in prime position for another
14:52shot at the belts in the near future fior's corner said we're down 2-0 you gotta go
15:02that's one of my favorite things about these well experienced corners they don't lie to their
15:07athletes but they tell them the truth and they tell them their expectation that's exactly what
15:11farasa hobby them did to minuel fiora
15:15well if we look at damage grasso's cut you're always not but it has she's been dropped yeah so
15:22it's like how are they going to score that too well alexa grasso's winning this fight i mean she
15:30was one of those first two rounds fiora had a better second round but
15:35she's not her punch numbers just aren't up enough she's just behind a clip
15:40and it just feels like when you watch it right it just looks like you can see one person winning
15:45that person is alexa grasso yeah we got the sidekick versus three punch combination of grasso
15:51it's like over and over
16:01grasso's done her best work and she's shown no hesitancy to go into the danger zone
16:11which has kept her guard high to not allow for her to land that white kick
16:17yeah that guard has done her some service in this fight for sure
16:26also has the hands locked under hook on the right side
16:49she's a muay thai and karate french national champion and you could see it in her style the kicks the
16:55way she kicks there's no tell on them and they come up so fast it's like a karate style
17:26i can't
17:33Yeah, we haven't seen a lot of body work out of either of these ladies, other than the sidekick from
17:38Fjord.
17:38It's like the headhunting is definitely what's going on right now.
17:42That left hand by Fjord landed a little bit ago.
17:51So now advancing, Fjord evades to the right.
17:56And in round one, she was not able to have space.
17:58She's gotten more and more of that as the fight's gone on.
18:00And her best round is this one.
18:02Yeah, it's the space.
18:04Fjord, she needs space in order to fight.
18:06That's why I believe Alexa Grosso was so aggressive to start the fight.
18:11But that sidekick is what stopped the space.
18:13I mean, you can only eat so many of those before you have to respect it.
18:16She just landed that dozens of times in this fight.
18:22Grosso now, some aggression here.
18:25She's first in her way through.
18:27And again, Fjord able to reverse.
18:29Can she break the grip?
18:30She does.
18:32Strong.
18:33Will it be enough, though?
18:34Or does she need a finish in the final minute?
18:37She's a tough one to score.
18:39But I think Grosso's controlled the center more.
18:41She's landed more combinations, higher clip of punches.
18:45I think she's done enough, but you never know if the judges are watching.
18:48Because of the cut, too.
18:49The bleeding.
18:50The bleeding.
18:54Also more difficult to track her down here in the third.
18:57There's another kick.
18:58Again, the guard was high there for Grosso to block it.
19:03She always has a tremendous shake, though.
19:04Yes, she is.
19:05She's fighting well down the stretch.
19:08She's just mean.
19:10Big, strong, physical.
19:12And when she's been able to fight her fight, she's had a lot of success.
19:16Problem is, in low one and two, she wasn't able to do that.
19:20Final seconds, top three contenders in the division.
19:24And they'll swing all the way to the final.
19:27Oh, that's awesome.
19:28But no cure, will it be enough?
19:30That's the question.
19:31Or will the hero's welcome of Alexa Grosso carry her through to what would be a sizable victory?
19:41Score cards are right on the other side.
19:46The rematch that had to happen, ladies and gentlemen.
19:50Joshua Band!
19:51He just continues to decimate his opposition.
19:54Alishandre Pantoja!
19:56He believes he can regain the world championship.
19:59These two together is guaranteed fireworks.
20:02Armand Saruquian!
20:04He can put you out!
20:06Mauricio Hufi!
20:08He's an absolute savage.
20:09Dateline Los Angeles!
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20:29Felix, we'll see you now.
20:31Blair and Barker, weekdays on Sportsnet 360, or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
20:36Warning, the following program contains extreme sports and violence,
20:40and may not be appropriate for younger viewers.
20:43Viewer discretion advised.
20:49Welcome back.
20:52Scorecards needed between Manon Fjord's second-ranked flyweight contender,
20:56and Alexa Grasso, the former champion out of Guadalajara, Mexico.
20:59And also, Bruce Buffer has the scorecards.
21:04Ladies and gentlemen, after three rounds, we go to the judges' scorecards for a decision.
21:09All three judges score this contest, 29-28.
21:13For the winner, by unanimous decision, Alexa Grasso!
21:37I'm here with Alexa Grasso.
21:39Alexa, you came out fired up.
21:43What went into this performance and the pressure that you put on Manon Fjord right at the start of the
21:48fight?
21:49Viva Mexico!
21:54This, this fired me up.
21:56It's amazing to see you all here.
21:57Gracias a todos por estar aquí.
21:59Es increíble verlos y qué bonito de verdad que esto se siga haciendo cada año.
22:04Alexa, let's take a look at your work up here.
22:07Your boxing, as it always is, was the key to you getting the victory,
22:11but the right hook was something you threw multiple times over the course of the fight.
22:15Did you know that that punch would be available to you as you pursued her?
22:19Well, you know, my boxing is my, my signature.
22:22We always try to represent our Mexican culture, the boxing style, and that's what I did.
22:27I'm, I'm so happy that this, this is working, and I'm grateful with my team, too.
22:31There is going to be a new champion in your weight class in a matter of weeks.
22:36You have now won two impressive fights in a row.
22:38What do you want to say to who may become the new champion?
22:41And what do you expect next when you step into the octagon?
22:44Well, you guys know me.
22:45I don't know.
22:45I don't talk too much.
22:47I just work hard.
22:48And when it's coming, it's coming.
22:50And I'll get that belt back one day.
22:52Well, that was a performance that you're going to be proud of.
22:55Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Alexa Grasso.
22:58Boy, gritty and blue-collar effort that will make this Mexican crowd proud
23:05as she went through the fire to outlast Manon Fiora
23:08and perhaps her championship days are still not just a thing of the past.
23:14Coming up next.