Alexa Grasso

Karen Alexa Grasso Montes (born August 9, 1993) is a Mexican professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is the former UFC Women's Flyweight Champion. Grasso is the first Mexican female fighter to win a UFC championship. She is also a UFC analyst for UFC Español for Spanish broadcasts. As of February 3, 2026, she is #3 in the Meta UFC women's flyweight rankings and as of March 31, 2026, she is #7 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career Grasso made her professional MMA debut in December 2012 in her native Mexico. During the first eighteen months of her career, she amassed an undefeated record of 5 wins (3 by TKO, 2 by decision) and 0 losses.

Invicta FC After taking a year away from the sport, Grasso made her Invicta FC debut on September 6, 2014, against Ashley Cummins at Invicta FC 8. She won the fight via unanimous decision.

In her second fight for the promotion, Grasso faced Alida Gray on December 5, 2014, at Invicta FC 10. She won the fight via TKO in the first round.

Grasso next faced Mizuki Inoue on February 27, 2015, in the co-main event at Invicta FC 11. She won the fight by unanimous decision. The bout also earned Grasso her first Fight of the Night bonus award.

Grasso was expected to challenge Livia Renata Souza for the Invicta Strawweight Title at Invicta FC 14 on 12 September 2015 but was forced to withdraw due to injury.

Ultimate Fighting Championship On August 11, 2016, it was announced that Grasso had signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She faced Heather Jo Clark on November 5, 2016, at The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale: dos Anjos vs. Ferguson in Mexico City, Mexico. She won the fight by unanimous decision.

Grasso next faced Felice Herrig on February 4, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 104. She lost the fight by unanimous decision, marking the first defeat in her professional career.

On August 5, 2017, Grasso faced Randa Markos at UFC Fight Night: Pettis vs. Moreno. Grasso suffered from a urinary tract infection and was medically advised to stop cutting weight and be placed on antibiotics, as a result she came in at 119 lbs, three pounds over the strawweight limit and was fined 20% of her purse that went to Markos. The bout proceeded at a catchweight. Grasso won the fight via split decision.

Grasso faced Tatiana Suarez on May 19, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 129. She lost the fight via a rear-naked choke in round one.

Grasso was scheduled to face Angela Hill on August 25, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 135. However, Grasso was pulled out from the bout on July 19, 2018, due to knee injury.

Grasso was expected to face Marina Rodriguez on February 2, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 144. However, it was reported on December 17, 2018, that Rodriguez pulled out of the event due to a hand injury. The pair was rescheduled to UFC on ESPN 2. However, on March 22, 2019, it was reported Grasso was injured and she was replaced by Jessica Aguilar.

Grasso faced Karolina Kowalkiewicz on June 8, 2019, at UFC 238. She won the fight by unanimous decision.

Grasso faced Carla Esparza on September 21, 2019, at UFC on ESPN+ 17. She lost the fight by majority decision. This fight earned her the Fight of the Night award.

Grasso was scheduled to face Cláudia Gadelha on January 18, 2020, at UFC 246. However, on the day of the weigh-ins, Grasso weighed in at 121.5, 5.5 pounds over the non-title strawweight limit of 116 lbs. The NSAC decided to remove the fight because competitors are not allowed to compete if the weight between them is over 3 pounds. In a statement released just hours after the weigh-ins, Grasso apologized for missing weight, and declared she will now be fighting at flyweight.

Move up to flyweight Grasso was scheduled to face Ji Yeon Kim on June 27, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker. However, due to travel restrictions for both fighters due to COVID-19 pandemic, the bout was rescheduled on August 29, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 175. She won the fight via unanimous decision.

Grasso faced Maycee Barber on February 13, 2021, at UFC 258. She won the fight via unanimous decision.

Grasso was scheduled to face Joanne Wood on November 20, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 198. However, Grasso was forced to pull out from the event due to injury and she was replaced by Taila Santos.

Grasso was expected to face Viviane Araújo on January 22, 2022, at UFC 270. However, Araújo was forced to pull out from the event due to injury, and the bout was cancelled.

Grasso faced Joanne Wood in a rescheduled bout on March 26, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 33. She won the fight via a rear-naked choke in the first round.

Grasso was rescheduled to face Viviane Araújo on August 13, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 41. However, the bout was cancelled due to Grasso's visa issues. The pair was yet again rescheduled on October 15, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 212. Grasso won the fight via unanimous decision.

UFC Women's Flyweight Champion Grasso faced Valentina Shevchenko on March 4, 2023, for the UFC Women's Flyweight Championship at UFC 285. Despite being a heavy underdog, she won the bout and earned the title via a face crank in the fourth round. This made her the first Mexican UFC women's champion. The win earned Grasso her first Performance of the Night bonus award.

Grasso made her first title defense in a rematch against Valentina Shevchenko on 16 September 2023, at UFC Fight Night 227. The match ended in a split draw.

On February 9, 2024, it was announced that Grasso and Shevchenko would be the coaches for The Ultimate Fighter 32 on ESPN+, which would feature contestants from the middleweight and featherweight divisions. Grasso faced Shevchenko for the third time on September 14, 2024 at UFC 306. Despite near submission attempts, she was dominated on the ground for nearly 15 minutes and lost the championship by unanimous decision.

Post-championship career

In her first non-title bout since 2022, Grasso made her return to action at UFC 315 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on May 10, 2025 where she faced Natália Silva. She lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Grasso was scheduled to face former two-time UFC Women's Strawweight Champion Rose Namajunas on January 24, 2026 at UFC 324. However, Grasso pulled out on December 3 due to injury and was replaced by Natália Silva.

Grasso faced Maycee Barber in a rematch on March 28, 2026, at UFC Fight Night 271. She won the fight via knockout in the first round. This fight earned her a $100,000 Performance of the Night award. Grasso, who previously had suffered two consecutive defeats, was praised for her performance, with her knockout being called one of the greatest in the sport's history by UFC president Dana White.

Grasso is scheduled to face Manon Fiorot on September 12, 2026 at UFC Fight Night 288.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship UFC Women's Flyweight Championship (One time) One successful title defense First Mexican woman to win a UFC championship Fight of the Night (One time) UFC Honors Awards 2023: President's Choice Performance of the Year Nominee UFC.com Awards 2023: Submission of the Year, Upset of the Year & Ranked #9 Fight of the Year | Ranked #5 Upset of the Year 2026: Half-Year Awards: Best Knockout of the 1HY Invicta Fighting Championships Fight of the Night (one time) Performance of the Night (one time) vs. Jodie Esquibel New York Post 2023 Female Fighter of the Year 2023 Upset of the Year (tied with Sean Strickland) The Sporting News 2023 Submission of the Year MMA Junkie 2015 February Fight of the Month vs. Mizuki Inoue 2023 Female Fighter of the Year 2023 Submission of the Year MMA Fighting 2023 Submission of the Year 2023 First Team MMA All-Star Cageside Press 2023 Female Fighter of the Year 2023 Submission of the Year World MMA Awards 2023 Female Fighter of the Year 2023 Submission of the Year vs. Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 285 ESPN 2023 Female UFC Fighter of the Year 2023 Submission of the Year GiveMeSport 2023 UFC Submission of the Year LowKick MMA 2023 Submission of the Year Combat Press 2023 Female Fighter of the Year 2023 Upset of the Year

Mixed martial arts record Win

Maycee Barber KO (punch) UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs. Pyfer

Seattle, Washington, United States Loss

Natália Silva Decision (unanimous) UFC 315

Montreal, Quebec, Canada Loss

Valentina Shevchenko Decision (unanimous) UFC 306

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Draw

Valentina Shevchenko Draw (split) UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Valentina Shevchenko Submission (face crank) UFC 285

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Viviane Araújo Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Araújo

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Joanne Wood Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Daukaus

Columbus, Ohio, United States Win

Maycee Barber Decision (unanimous) UFC 258

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Kim Ji-yeon Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakić

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Carla Esparza Decision (majority) UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Stephens

Mexico City, Mexico Win

Karolina Kowalkiewicz Decision (unanimous) UFC 238

Chicago, Illinois, United States Loss

Tatiana Suarez Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman

Santiago, Chile Win

Randa Markos Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Pettis vs. Moreno

Mexico City, Mexico Loss

Felice Herrig Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. The Korean Zombie

Houston, Texas, United States Win

Heather Jo Clark Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale: dos Anjos vs. Ferguson

Mexico City, Mexico Win

Jodie Esquibel Decision (unanimous) Invicta FC 18

Kansas City, Missouri, United States Win

Mizuki Inoue Decision (unanimous) Invicta FC 11

Los Angeles, California, United States Win

Alida Gray TKO (punches) Invicta FC 10

Houston, Texas, United States Win

Ashley Cummins Decision (unanimous) Invicta FC 8

Kansas City, Missouri, United States Win

Karina Rodríguez Decision (unanimous)

Win

Alejandra Alvarez TKO (punches and knees)

Win

Lupita Hernandez KO (punch) Fight Hard Championship 3

Jalisco, Mexico Win

Sandra del Rincon KO (punch) GEX: Old Jack's Fight Night

Jalisco, Mexico |