"My lil brother got better takedown defense" - Fans attack Alexa Grasso on Instagram with harsh criticism after Noche UFC loss

Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko completed the third, and possibly final, chapter of their fierce rivalry. Their trilogy showdown witnessed Shevchenko emerge victorious in dominant fashion to reclaim the UFC women's flyweight title. Certain sections of the MMA community proceeded to direct harsh criticism at Grasso after the one-sided fight.

Their first fight saw Grasso defeat Shevchenko via fourth-round submission in the co-headlining match of UFC 285 (March 2023). It marked the end of 'Bullet's' first title reign and was deemed one of the biggest upsets in MMA history.

An immediate rematch ensued. It headlined the inaugural Mexican Independence Day-themed 'Noche UFC' event in Sept. 2023. The rematch ended in a split draw, due to which Grasso retained her title. Nevertheless, many fans argued that Valentina Shevchenko had done more than enough to earn the judges' nod.

Their trilogy fight came next and served as the co-headlining match of UFC 306 (aka Riyadh Season Noche UFC) on Sept. 14, 2024. Shevchenko displayed tremendous striking and grappling throughout the clash, craftily outworking her Mexican foe with an educated jab and stellar wrestling.

In the end, the judges scored the fight as a unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) victory for Shevchenko. The Kyrgyzstani-Peruvian fighter thereby reclaimed her UFC women's flyweight title, commencing her second championship reign.

Fight fans soon weighed in on Alexa Grasso's defeat at UFC 306. Some netizens sounded off on the former champion for what they felt was a bad performance. In a UFC 306 promotional post put forth by her management's Instagram handle, several fans lambasted the Mexican combatant. One commenter wrote:

"So do you smoke cigarettes while the grappling class is going on at the gym or ? Because my lil brother got better takedown defense then that sh**"

Additionally, an observer labeled the performance "embarrassing," suggesting that it's one thing to lose to a better fighter but this matchup was a complete shutout. One Instagram user addressed Alexa Grasso's game plan and wrote:

"What the f**k was your game plan here"

Another netizen wrote:

"Girl you could have at least scratched her. Wtf"

Yet another fan opined that the performance was embarrassing, whereas one commenter implied that Grasso landed very few significant strikes in the five-round title fight. One fan wrote:

"Did you even want to fight tonight... what a terrible fight..."

Moreover, a commenter questioned Grasso's training:

"Did you even train for the fight? Looked like you where about to cry the whole time"

Check out the screenshots of a few reactions below:

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A look at the aftermath of the trilogy between Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso

France's Manon Fiorot weighed in as the official backup/replacement fighter for the Alexa Grasso-Valentina Shevchenko trilogy fight. It's believed that Fiorot, the No. 2-ranked flyweight, would receive the next title shot against Shevchenko.

Shevchenko's longtime friend, former two-time UFC women's strawweight champion Rose Namajunas is ranked No. 5 at flyweight. Namajunas fights the No. 3-ranked Erin Blanchfield on Nov. 2, 2024. The Blanchfield-Namajunas winner would likely be catapulted into the flyweight title picture.

Furthermore, it's currently unclear as to when and who Alexa Grasso fights next. That said, the consensus is that the former champion would surely be booked against a high-ranking opponent in the aftermath of her title loss.