UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2
| Industry | Mixed martial arts promotion |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1993 |
| Headquarters | Las Vegas , United States |
| Products | Mixed martial arts events |
| Website | www |
UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2—also identified as UFC Fight Night 227, UFC on ESPN+ 85, and Noche UFC'—was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 16, 2023. The event took place at the T-Mobile Arena located in Paradise, Nevada, within the Las Vegas metropolitan region.
Background
This event coincided with Mexico's Independence Day, showcasing several fighters of Mexican heritage and aligning with Las Vegas's established custom of hosting significant boxing matches around this holiday.
The main attraction featured a rematch for the UFC Women's Flyweight Championship between reigning titleholder Alexa Grasso and former champion Valentina Shevchenko. Their initial bout occurred at UFC 285 in March 2023, where Grasso secured the championship by submitting Shevchenko in the fourth round.
A welterweight contest between Shavkat Rakhmonov and ex-interim middleweight title challenger Kelvin Gastelum was scheduled as the co-main event but was called off due to Gastelum sustaining a facial injury.
In the middleweight division, a fight initially arranged between Chris Curtis and Anthony Hernandez experienced multiple alterations: Curtis withdrew because of a rib injury and was substituted by Roman Kopylov, who later faced Hernandez after Hernandez exited owing to a ligament tear; Josh Fremd eventually replaced Hernandez.
A welterweight clash set to feature Daniel Rodriguez against Santiago Ponzinibbio was canceled after Rodriguez tested positive for the prohibited substance ostarine, prompting Ponzinibbio to withdraw as well.
Within the women’s strawweight category, a matchup originally planned between Elise Reed and Cynthia Calvillo evolved when Calvillo was replaced by Iasmin Lucindo at a catchweight of 120 pounds. Subsequently, Reed pulled out and was succeeded by Josefine Lindgren Knutsson. Lucindo later withdrew due to injury, leading to newcomer Marnic Mann stepping in.
A lightweight bout featuring Natan Levy versus Alex Reyes also underwent revision when Levy withdrew for undisclosed reasons; his position was filled by debutant Charlie Campbell.
Bonus awards
Monetary bonuses of $50,000 were distributed as follows:
- Fight of the Night: No award granted.
- Performance of the Night: Raúl Rosas Jr., Daniel Zellhuber, Lupita Godinez, Roman Kopylov, and Charlie Campbell