LAS VEGAS, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Mexican fighter Alexa Grasso celebrated her nation's independence day in unusual fashion, holding on to her UFC flyweight title after fighting to a seldom-seen split draw against former champion Valentina Shevchenko on Saturday. Grasso, who beat Shevchenko by submission in March to win the title, topped the card at the T-Mobile Arena at the Noche UFC event, which had a strong Mexican flavor due to it taking place on Sept. 16, the day Mexicans celebrate their independence. Shevchenko said she thought she won the fight three rounds to two and that the Mexican celebration may have influenced the scoring. "I did a lot of damage ... all of my punches were hard, and yes, I'm the winner. The close nature of the fight has already led to calls from fans for a third match, but Grasso was non-committal when asked about that prospect.

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Persons: Alexa Grasso, Valentina Shevchenko, Grasso, Shevchenko, Let's, Philip O'Connor, Tom Hogue Organizations: LAS VEGAS, UFC, Mobile, Noche UFC, Thomson Locations: Guadalajara