Alexa Grasso thought about quitting MMA during long injury layoff

It wasn’t just the physical pain. It was the mental toll, too.

Alexa Grasso had never experienced anything quite like that. First, it was torn shoulder tendons that required surgery and rehab. Then, it was a broken hand. Grasso was booked to fight at least three times for Invicta over the last year, but had to withdraw from all of them.

That title shot she thought she earned in 2015 evaporated — not because of something she did in the cage, but due to injuries. At 22 years old, Grasso considered retirement.

“Honestly, I was going to quit,” Grasso told MMA Fighting. “It’s horrible that your body hurts this way. I was like, ‘Why am I doing this?’ Many things happen in your mind in those horrible moments. You can have a little depression and you feel like the world is going down.”

Those feelings lasted a long time, but they eventually did go away. Her family and support system helped. She sat down with them for something of an intervention.

“They told me, ‘Hey, don’t quit,'” Grasso said. “‘You’re so young and many things can happen. Just rest, relax, recover, stay healthy, stay strong and let’s see what happens.’ And now I have a main event. This is awesome.”

Indeed, Grasso will be back in the cage after 17 months away to face Jodie …

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