Invicta FC 18 results: Alexa Grasso bloodies, beats Jodie Esquibel after 17-month layoff

Invicta FC has missed Alexa Grasso, one of its most marketable fighters. She came back in a big way Friday night.

Grasso dominated Ultimate Fighter alum Jodie Esquibel in a bloody affair in the main event of Invicta FC 18 in Kansas City. At the end of the impressive performance, the Mexican star earned herself a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26) victory. Grasso will likely fight next for the Invicta women’s strawweight title against champion Angela Hill.

The undefeated Grasso (8-0) landed her 1-2 combination pretty much the entire fight, hurting Esquibel in the first round and bloodying her up in the second. The blood was flowing so much in the third that the referee paused the action so the doctor could come look at it. Grasso came close to finishing Esquibel in that final round as well.

Grasso, just 22 years old, had not fought in 17 months due to shoulder surgery and a broken hand. She’s regarded as one of the top up-and-coming fighters in all of women’s MMA and didn’t do anything Friday to make anyone disagree with that. Esquibel (5-2) is a former Invicta atomweight contender and lost a …

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