Las Vegas, NV — Winning a competitive decision over Viviane Araujo at UFC Vegas 62 on Saturday, Alexa Grasso never doubted she had done enough to take home the victory.
“I knew I won this fight. I did a lot of damage,” Grasso (15-3) told media outlets including Cageside Press backstage at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. “My punches were totally a lot harder, and even when she was on the fence, she was doing nothing. I was hitting her instead. I was on the cage, but I was hitting her, I was throwing knees, elbows. On the floor was just a little time. With all respect, she didn’t do too much.”
Grasso added that’s she’s “super proud” of her performance against Araujo. “She’s a Brazilian black belt. She’s the toughest opponent I’ve faced.”
The victory was the fourth straight for Grasso, who has found considerable success since moving to the women’s flyweight division. She’s now firmly among the names chasing champ Valentina Shevchenko, but there’s another upcoming fight that could dictate the next title challenger: Katlyn Chookagian vs. Manon Fiorot.
Admitting that “it’s a very important fight too,” Grasso said she actually hopes to take on one more main event challenge before fighting for gold.
“Definitely I faced a big challenge first, 25 minutes fight. I hope to do it again.” With that in mind, Grasso wants “another main event, with one of the girls. I don’t know, maybe number two. The ones that are on top. I would like to test myself again, one more time, for 25 minutes before that, but if I have to go for the belt, I will do it.”
Getting back to Saturday’s performance, Grasso credits past experience for being able to hang with Viviane Araujo in the grappling department.
“I’ve had two fights with two amazing wrestlers, so at the end of the day I’m thankful for those,” she stated. “Every fight that is harder for you helps you to improve better. I think this is the moment in my life where I finally match the wrestling, the jiu-jitsu. I feel a lot more comfortable in any situation.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 62 post-fight press conference appearance by Alexa Grasso above.
