Valentina Shevchenko wants judge to explain his bizarre 10-8 scorecard following her frustrating loss to Alexa Grasso

Despite putting on a great showing against champion Alexa Grasso, Valentina Shevchenko had a night to forget at Noche UFC. Not only did she fail to reclaim her title, but she was also on the wrong end of possibly one of the worst judges’ scorecards of 2023.

In what was a closely contested collision between two of the greatest 125ers in the world, “Bullet” aired her frustrations with Mike Bell’s fifth-round score, which he outstandingly awarded the Mexican titleholder with a 10-8 score.

“I think I did everything to secure the victory and unfortunately, I think because this event is [held on] Mexican Independence Day, that’s why it affected the decision of the judge to give 10-8 in the fifth round.” Argued Shevchenko. “From my experience, 10-8 is when one fighter completely cannot do anything. [When] they’re running around, waiting and looking for an escape from the octagon.”

Alongside the poor judging decision, Valentina had a problem with a number of knees that Grasso managed to land on her which she believes were illegal.

“There were some illegal shots like knees in the fourth round.” Said Shevchenko. “It kind of affected me because it was knees to the head. I was not cut, luckily for me, but I was a grounded opponent. I had my fingers on the mat and this is what you cannot do with a grounded opponent.”

The Krygyzstani is best known for her incredible Muay Thai skills and her ability to outwork the best fighters in her weight class. While she is elite when it comes to striking, an unfortunate injury sustained in the first round hindered how she approached the remainder of the matchup.

“I’m proud of myself because I fought. I fought the battle from the first second to the very end of the fight. I fought with all my heart and with all my soul,” Insisted Shevchenko. “I broke my thumb in the first round and it’s like fractured now. I felt it affecting my striking.”

The former women’s flyweight queen was spotted sporting a brace to the post-fight press conference and appeared to be struggling with the injury from her war with Alexa Grasso.