LAS VEGAS — The first trilogy in UFC women’s history came to an end Saturday and it was Valentina Shevchenko who had the last laugh.

Shevchenko (24-4-1) regained her flyweight title by defeating Alexa Grasso (16-4-1) via unanimous decision at UFC 306 inside the Sphere. It was the third straight title fight for Shevchenko and Grasso, dating back to March 2023. Grasso took the belt from Shevchenko in the first meeting in a huge upset by decision. The second bout ended in a majority draw a year ago.

The final act proved surprisingly one-sided. Shevchenko, 35, executed a grappling-heavy game plan as she took down Grasso in each of the five rounds en route to unanimous 50-45 scores.

According to UFC Stats, Grasso landed just 18 significant punches. Shevchenko had over 16 minutes of ground control time in the 25-minute fight.

“It’s a dream come true to fight in the Sphere,” Shevchenko said. “Everything about this fight was more satisfying (than the previous one). The game plan was to go there and fight to the end.”

It was a night of vindication for Shevchenko, who was adamant that she felt she had won the September 2023 rematch. Shevchenko would have won that bout had one judge not given Grasso a 10-8 score in the final round, leading to the majority draw. While Grasso won the fifth round clearly, many questioned whether it was dominant enough to merit a 10-8 score.

Shevchenko left no doubt Saturday and effectively neutralized Grasso’s attack, expertly picking her off on her feet from distance before executing well-timed takedowns. Grasso gave up eight of 12 takedown attempts and struggled to get back to her feet. She did threaten Shevchenko with a handful of submissions from behind, including a tight guillotine in the fourth round, but was unable to finish any of them.

The crowd booed at times over the lack of action in the co-main event, but that did little to dampen Shevchenko’s spirits. She looked emotional as the final bell sounded. She had held the 125-pound title for nearly four years when Grasso took it in 2022.

Shevchenko, originally from Kyrgyzstan, is considered one of the best female fighters of all time. She had never been without a win in back-to-back MMA appearances until the majority draw went to Grasso. She will likely face French No. 1 contender Manon Fiorot in her next title defense.