UFC book Grasso vs Shevchenko 2, Rakhmonov vs Gastelum for September 16th

UFC president Dana White has announced that the promotion will be holding an event on September 16th, which is Mexican Independence Day. Headlining this Fight Night card will be a championship rematch and a high-stakes welterweight clash.

The main event will see the rematch between flyweight champion Alexa Grasso and long-time titleholder Valentina Shevchenko. Grasso, dubbed the ‘pride of Guadalajara’ by White, will look to make the first defence of her title on her country’s national holiday. To do so, she will have to hold off Shevchenko for a second time, whose loss to Grasso marked her first in over five years.

Also on the card is a matchup of fan favourite contenders. Shavkat Rakhmonov will look for his eighteenth straight finish on the night, but he will have to get past former title challenger Kelvin Gastelum. The bout will serve as Gastelum’s return to 170lbs after a long stint at middleweight. The Mexican-American does have a tough task ahead of him in his welcome fight, however, with Kazakhstan’s Rakhmonov being unbeaten and boasting a 100% finish rate.

Mexico currently has three UFC champions, including Grasso. Yair Rodriguez, who holds in the interim featherweight title, will look to unify his belt next weekend against Alexander Volkanovski. Brandon Moreno, the flyweight champion, also fights next week, in a bid to claim his first title defense.

The event is set to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. White has stated that he will make continuous announcements in regards to additional fights being booked.

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