Alexa Grasso to bid farewell to Strawweight division and move to a "healthier" weight class

Alexa Grasso was supposed to go up against Claudia Gadelha at UFC 246 on Saturday night in Las Vegas. But the pay-per-view main card fight will not be happening anymore since Grasso missed the Strawweight mark by a whopping margin of 5.5 pounds over the allowed limit.

Her opponent Gadelha still wanted the fight to happen, according to her social media post, but Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) did not let that happen. Strawweights are allowed a three-pound allowance under NSAC rules, but Grasso weighing at 121.5 pounds meant there was barely a chance for a fight.

In an Instagram post, later on, Grasso opened up on social media about her struggles of keeping to Strawweight at her age and announced her decision to move to a different weight class which is better for health as well as her career.

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Grasso moves to Flyweight division

Grasso began the long Instagram post by apologizing to her opponent and the promotion for the cancellation of the fight and then went on to share the sacrifices of staying in the Strawweight class.

"I want to apologize to Claudia Gadelha and the UFC. I know this is a fight all were waiting a lot, including me. I trained very much for this and I did everything to lose those pounds... You don’t know how difficult it has been lately to keep me in this weigh class. It was not a lack of discipline because even if I do not have a fight I’m ALWAYS on diet."

Grasso said that now that she is 26 years old, her body's growth and changing metabolism are making it difficult to maintain a bodyweight of 115 pounds and that she had pushed herself to the limit to stick to her duties as a fighter on many occasions.

"I have lived in recent years to the limit of what a body needs to be healthy, and yet I have always fulfilled my obligations. Let's not talk about a flu or if my period is crossed because that added to the diet had made the weigh cuts a real suffering."

Grasso concluded the post by saying that she and her team has decided upon doing the "smartest and healthiest" course of action, which is to say goodbye to Strawweight division and move to Flyweight division (125 lbs).

Here is the Instagram post by Grasso:

While Grasso will possibly have to wait for her next call, Gadelha will be given her show purse for making weight and is likely to be booked for upcoming cards.

UFC 246 can be watched live and exclusively in India on Sony Ten 1 and Sony Ten 1 HD in English and on Sony Ten 3 and Ten 3 HD in Hindi at 8:30 AM on 19th January 2020.