Mexico’s Alexa Grasso added more weight to her championship credentials at 125 pounds with a strong performance over fellow fringe contender Viviane Araujo at UFC Vegas 62.
The pair met in the headline bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, with the winner expected to propel themselves toward title contention in the UFC’s women’s flyweight division.
And, after five busy rounds at the UFC’s Las Vegas base, it was Grasso who walked away with the unanimous decision victory, with scores of 50-45, 49-46, 49-46.
Grasso’s victory extended her win streak to four, with her win over Araujo joining prior successes over Joanne Wood, Maycee Barber and Ji Yeon Kim.
And, with each of the division’s top four contenders having already fought, and lost to, reigning flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, fifth-ranked Grasso could potentially find herself next in line for a shot at title.
In the co-main event, Cub Swanson’s bantamweight debut ended in TKO defeat at the hands – well, legs – of Jonathan Martinez, who stopped “Killer Cub” with a leg kick late in the second round.
The middleweight bout between fellow strikers Dusko Todorovic and Jordan Wright got off to a fast start as both men traded shots in a lively opening five minutes.
But Todorovic took over after the restart as he eventually took the action to the ground, where he finished Wright with ground strikes mid-way through the second round.
There was also an emotional victory for longtime bantamweight contender Raphael Assuncao, who snapped a four-fight skid with a unanimous decision win over Victor Henry.
Assuncao’s victory took his total to 12 in the UFC’s bantamweight division, and while the 40-year-old Brazilian said post-fight that he was strongly considering retirement, it seems those plans aren’t quite ready to be actioned just yet.
The main card kicked off with a bang as light heavyweight powerhouse Alonzo Menifield finished Misha Cirkunov with a scary first-round knockout that left the Latvian-born Canadian out on the canvas for an extended period of time.
Thankfully, Cirkunov recovered and was eventually helped from the cage, while the rest of the light heavyweight division was put on notice by Menifield’s display of fight-stopping power.
UFC Vegas 62: Official Results
MAIN CARD
- Alexa Grasso def. Viviane Araujo via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46)
- Jonathan Martinez def. Cub Swanson via TKO (leg kick) – Round 2, 4:19
- Dusko Todorovic def. Jordan Wright TKO (ground strikes) – Round 2, 3:12
- Raphael Assuncao def. Victor Henry via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Alonzo Menefield def. Misha Cirkunov via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:28
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Leomana Martinez def. Brandon Davis via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jacob Malkoun def. Nick Maximov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Joanderson Brito def. Lucas Alexander via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:02
- Piera Rodriguez def. Sam Hughes via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Tatsuro Taira def. C.J. Vergara via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 4:19
- Pete Rodriguez def. Mike Jackson via knockout (punches and knee) – Round 1, 1:33
