Alexa Grasso has been away from the cage for more than a minute, and as she returns, she foresees “a striking clinic” against Joanne Wood at UFC Columbus this Saturday.
That said, it took a few bumps in the road to get to his point. Grasso (13-3) was originally booked opposite Wood (nee Calderwood) back in November, only to pull out due to injury. In December, Grasso was then paired up with Viviane Araujo; this time, it was Araujo withdrawing due to injury.
That brought her back to the pairing with Wood, expected to serve as the UFC Columbus co-main event. “I’m so excited to be here again. I’m happy that it’s happening finally,” Grasso said during this week’s media day promoting the event.
“Life’s like that sometimes,” the flyweight said of those bumps in the road. “You have to recover from all those situations, and just look forward, doing your best, training every day, non-stop at the gym. And just waiting for opportunities.”
Asked if having fight after fight full through was frustrating, Grasso explained that “It was not frustration, it was just like a little sad. You want to show your skills, show everything you’ve been doing, but like I said, unfortunately, sometimes things don’t go our way, but you have to be ready. Just a few minutes, like ‘damn it,’ but then ‘okay, let’s go to the gym.'”
Now over two years removed from her last strawweight fight, and with two wins at 125lbs, Grasso also feels she’s on the right path.
“Being honest, yes, I’m so, so happy to be at flyweight now. My body is saying thank you. As I’m getting older, of course my body changed, and I think this is a very important new path.”
Watch the full UFC Columbus media day interview with Alexa Grasso above. The event takes place Saturday, March 26, 2022 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
