Rivalries: Alexa Grasso

While Alexa Grasso has not yet made the turn toward full-fledged stardom in the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s flyweight division, seasoned observers continue to hold out hope for such a move.

The 28-year-old Lobo Gym export will collide with Joanne Wood in the UFC on ESPN 33 co-feature this Saturday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Grasso enters the Octagon on the strength of back-to-back victories. She last appeared at UFC 258, where she was awarded a unanimous verdict over Maycee Barber in their three-round encounter on Feb. 13.

As Grasso pores over the remaining details associated with her forthcoming confrontation with Wood, a look at some of the rivalries that have helped shape her career to this point:

Jodie Esquibel

Grasso made an example of the Jackson-Wink MMA product in her first turn as an Invicta Fighting Championships headliner when she carved up the Greg Jackson protégé across 15 lopsided minutes and walked away from their Invicta 18 main event with a unanimous decision on July 29, 2016 at the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Missouri. Scores were 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26. Esquibel tried valiantly, albeit unsuccessfully, to keep it competitive. Grasso picked her apart with jabs and punching combinations from the outside, made her pay for takedown attempts and smashed her with short punches, knees and elbows in close quarters. By the time it was over, Esquibel was barely recognizable and Grasso was on her way to the UFC.

Felice Herrig

The “Lil Bulldog” recorded the most significant victory of her career when she claimed a unanimous decision over the previously undefeated Grasso in the UFC Fight Night 104 co-feature on Feb. 4, 2017 at the Toyota Center in Houston. Herrig swept the scorecards with 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 nods from the judges. Grasso was stuck in neutral for much of the 15-minute confrontation. Herrig pressured her with punches, often pairing left hooks to the body with clubbing rights upstairs. Grasso was uncharacteristically tentative, perhaps caught off-guard by the veteran’s aggression on the feet. Herrig struck for a takedown in the third round and briefly achieved full mount before getting back to work in the standup. Grasso buckled the Jeff Curran disciple with a late flurry but did not do enough to author the finish she needed.

Tatiana Suarez

“The Ultimate Fighter 23” winner remained undefeated, as she submitted Grasso with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 129 co-headliner on May 19, 2018 at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile. The end came 2:44 into Round 1. Suarez executed a head-and-arm throw a little more than a minute into the fight, scored with another takedown and withstood a frenetic scramble from the Lobo Gym standout. She ultimately advanced to Grasso’s back, set her hooks and slipped her arm underneath the chin. Suarez slowly tightened her squeeze, and though her counterpart fought desperately to free herself, there was no escape. It remains the only submission defeat on Grasso’s ledger.

Karolina Kowalkiewicz

Grasso reminded the MMA world why she was so highly regarded when she broke into the sport as a teenager in 2012, as she picked apart the former KSW champion and took a unanimous decision in their UFC 238 prelim on June 8, 2019 at the United Center in Chicago. All three judges struck 30-27 scorecards for Grasso, who appeared to turn another corner in her development. Kowalkiewicz walked into an ambush. Grasso intercepted her with clean counters, damaging jabs, well-disguised kicks and thudding close-quarters knee strikes. She showed her superiority at range—her efforts left Kowalkiewicz with a bloody nose and set her on rubbery legs more than once—and in the clinch, where she assaulted the Pole with elbows and repeated knees. Grasso even snuck in an attempted guillotine choke in the waning seconds of the bout, showcasing the true depth of her skills.

Carla Esparza

Takedowns and top control were enough to propel the Team Oyama star to a contentious majority decision over Grasso in their UFC Fight Night 159 co-main event on Sept. 21, 2019 at Mexico City Arena in Mexico City. Two of the three judges—Douglas Crosby and Rick Winter—scored 29-28 for Esparza, while Brian Puccillo had it deadlocked at 28-28. Esparza struck for multiple takedowns in the first and second rounds, managed to neutralize the Lobo Gym rep and kept the fight in her comfort zone. Everything changed in Round 3, where Grasso nearly finished it on two separate occasions. She rocked Esparza with a left hook, flurried with punches and stuffed two subsequent takedown attempts. However, she did not fully capitalize on the moment. Later, Esparza snatched a single-leg, scrambled on top and wandered into an armbar. Grasso rolled to a dominant position and bent the former strawweight champion’s arm beyond its bounds. However, Esparza refused to tap, withstood a final standup exchange and put her fate in the hands of the judges.