“Results came back yesterday on a hand injury suffered in the first round,” the former UFC champion wrote on social media. “Splinter fracture requiring surgery.”
Later, prominent sports columnist Ariel Helwani shared insider information on the matter.
“News about Valentina’s arm,” the reporter wrote. “According to her team, she will be in a cast for a month after surgery and will not be allowed to load her arm or hit for another three months. So far they haven’t told me what will happen with the title fight.”
Recall that the women’s flyweight title fight between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko, which headlined UFC Fight Night 227 in Las Vegas last weekend, went the full distance and ended in a split decision draw with scores of 48-47, 47-48 and 47-47. Referee Mike Bell actually decided the fate of the fight, giving the Mexican a final round 10-8 decision over the Mexican to get a final score of 47-47, much to the bewilderment of the mma community.
Six months earlier, Grasso had pulled off one of the most high-profile upsets in UFC history, finishing Shevchenko with a fourth-round rear-naked choke and stripping her of her championship belt.