Take an inside look at the one of a kind belt that UFC flyweight champion Alexa Grasso is carrying around ahead of her title defense at Noche UFC this Saturday.
If you’ve paid attention to social media over the last week, you’ve probably noticed that the championship belt Alexa Grasso is carrying around is not your typical black and gold iteration. While she does have the traditional one in her trophy case, she has been gifted a special belt for the occasion of headlining the UFC’s event on Mexican Independence Day as her country’s only current champion.
It should be noted that while it is similar, hers is a one of a kind belt that is different from the one bestowed upon Yair Rodriguez prior to his title unification fight this past July. Made by the same Mexican artists Jacobo and Maria Ángeles, Grasso’s belt is personally hand-painted using nothing but all-natural materials.
Per a press release, the “Tribe Belt” is not only visually eye-catching but also features accents honoring Grasso’s homeland and her personal journey toward becoming world champion.
“The UFC belt is the hallmark of those who, on the arduous road to success, demonstrated the preeminence of their skills within the competition. Therefore, this award is the consecration of all those fights defeated inside and outside of the octagon. This design retakes elements of the Mexican pre-Hispanic culture in the heart of the Mixtec/Zapotec cultures, in which values are abstracted in a design that as a memento shows the long road to triumph. Dexterity, courage, ability and discipline are symbolisms through the iconography of the workshop as the house; protection, the fish; respect, person; people, butterfly; happiness, wind; movement and rattle; maximum power in a bid to materialize the arduous path of a champion.”
Per their website, the Ángeles’ state:
We have a deep respect for the environment. We seek to promote a culture of regeneration and not only the consumption of natural resources through reforestation, the harvesting of water and the preservation of food sovereignty. We are aware of the impact of the use of raw materials
so we created Palo Que Habla, our bio-conservation project which allows us to make a responsible consumption of wood and guarantees the continuity of our craft. We encourage the development of young people through art, sports and culture to break physical and mental boundaries. We contribute to the integral development of the residents of more than 16 towns in the Ocotlán Valley and to the region’s economy.”
Grasso will be looking to defend her title against former longtime champion Valentina Shevchenko this Saturday at Noche UFC.
