Karen Alexa Grasso Montes (born August 9, 1993) is a Mexican professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who competes in the women's

Flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing up to and including 51 kg (112 lb) for a title fight. Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of boxin ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC), where she is a former UFC Women's Flyweight Champion. Grasso is the second Mexican to win a UFC title after Brandon Moreno and the first Mexican woman to win a UFC championship. She is also a UFC analyst for UFC Español for Spanish broadcasts. As of May 13, 2025, she is #3 in the UFC women's flyweight rankings and as of June 10, 2025, 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 A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection that affects a part of the urinary tract. Lower urinary tract infections may involve the bladder (cystitis) or urethra (urethritis) while upper urinary tract infections affect the kidney (pyel ...

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 Ana Cláudia Dantas Gadelha (; born December 7, 1988) is a Brazilian former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Strawweight (MMA), Women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of 2022, 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 Kim Ji-yeon (; born October 18, 1989), often anglicized Ji Yeon Kim, is a South Korean mixed martial artist (MMA). She was the Jewels and Gladiator women's bantamweight champion. She competed in the Women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fi ...

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 COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, 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 ''UFC 270: Ngannou vs. Gane'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 22, 2022, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Background A UFC Heavyweight Championship title unificat ...

. 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+ ESPN+ is an American over-the-top subscription video streaming service available in the United States, owned by ESPN Inc., which is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communicati ...

, 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.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** 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) ** Performance of the Night (One time) **Third most significant strikes thrown in a 3-round fight (369) vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz **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 & Ranked #10 Fight of the Year vs. Valentina Shevchenko 2 , Ranked #2 Fighter of the Year * MMAJunkie.com **2015 February Fight of the Month vs. Mizuki Inoue **2023 Female Fighter of the Year * Invicta Fighting Championships **Fight of the Night (one time) **Performance of the Night (one time) vs. Jodie Esquibel *

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

**2023 Submission of the Year * MMAFighting.com **2023 Submission of the Year *Cageside Press **2023 Fighter of the Year (Female) **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 **2023 Upset of the Year vs. Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 285 *

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Wee ...

** Women's MMA MVP (2023)

Mixed martial arts record

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grasso, Alexa 1993 births Living people Strawweight mixed martial artists Mexican female mixed martial artists Martial artists from Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexican practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters Ultimate Fighting Championship champions Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu 21st-century Mexican sportswomen