Shevchenko to have surgery on fractured thumb

Any potential for an Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko trilogy might have to wait a bit.

Shevchenko, the former UFC women’s flyweight champion, will need surgery on a fractured right thumb, she wrote Tuesday on Instagram. She suffered the injury in the Noche UFC main event against Grasso last Saturday night in Las Vegas. Shevchenko said the fracture happened in the first round.

in her Instagram story, Shevchenko wrote that it is a comminuted fracture, meaning her thumb is broken in more than three separate pieces.

Grasso and Shevchenko fought to a split draw, with Grasso retaining the UFC women’s flyweight championship. The result was controversial, with Grasso being given a 10-8 round in the fifth by one judge, leading to the draw, though it was not a dominant round.

Grasso beat Shevchenko to win the UFC women’s flyweight belt at UFC 285 in their first meeting in March. Last Saturday was Grasso’s first title defense, on a card celebrating Mexican Independence Day.

Shevchenko (23-4-1) is one of the most accomplished women’s fighters in MMA history. The Kyrgyzstan native had seven successful title defenses at flyweight, the most consecutive in UFC women’s history. Shevchenko, 35, was on a nine-fight winning streak before Grasso defeated her six months ago.