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#3 UFC Flyweight Division: Alexa Grasso vs. Ji Yeon Kim

The popular Alexa Grasso is moving to 125lbs for the first time in her UFC career this weekend

Given the overall dearth in talent in the UFC women’s 125lbs division, this fight could well be interesting in terms of the title picture. South Korea’s Kim isn’t quite a contender just yet – she’s 3-2 in the UFC – but she’s clearly a tough fighter with plenty of skills.

Grasso, on the other hand, is moving up to the Flyweight division after a pretty successful run at 115lbs. 11-3 overall, she’s beaten veterans like Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Randa Markos, and Heather Clark in the UFC, with her only losses coming to Felice Herrig, Tatiana Suarez and Carla Esparza.

Of those losses, only Suarez really whitewashed her. Herrig simply edged her out in all areas using her superior experience, while the decision in the Esparza fight could well have gone either way. Overall, Grasso is an extremely accomplished striker – particularly with her boxing – and while her ground game is still a work in progress, it’s improving all the time.

Despite winning her last fight by TKO, from what I’ve seen of her previously, Kim will probably want to take this one to the ground. Her last loss saw her thoroughly picked apart by Antonina Shevchenko, she struggled to beat the much smaller Justine Kish in a striking battle, and she also had issues with Lucie Pudilova which led to her other UFC loss.

However, will she be able to resist a striking battle with the Mexican? I’m not so sure. And if she does decide to stand with Grasso, I think she’ll be in trouble. Sure, she should have a size advantage – she’s missed the 125lbs weight limit twice in her UFC career. But she’s not a huge specimen and her height advantage isn’t that big – just 2”.

And in terms of her technique, Grasso will probably be the best pure striker Kim has ever faced in the UFC. She knows how to sit behind a jab and throw clean combinations, her footwork is excellent, and she’s pretty solid in the clinch too. And it’s not like she’s terrible on the ground either – she was able to fend off a top grappler in Esparza even if she couldn’t always prevent the takedown.

Assuming Kim can’t simply use her size to smother Grasso, I think she’s outgunned here. For me, Grasso is the slightly better fighter in all areas. And if she can take to her new weight properly, then she could be a very real threat to UFC Flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko at some point in the future.

The Pick: Grasso via unanimous decision