"She is pi**ed" - Alexa Grasso pushing 'dominant' champion Valentina Shevchenko may have brought out the best in her, says Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier recently weighed in on the upcoming Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso title rematch at Noche UFC this weekend. The former two-division champion claimed that Grasso could bring out the best in Shevchenko by pushing 'Bullet' to make all the necessary adjustments in her game.

Shevchenko last fought Grasso at UFC 285 in March. After seven successful title defenses, Shevchenko was widely backed to beat her Mexican challenger and continue her incredible title run. During the fight, the Kyrgyzstan native was up on the judges' scorecards after three rounds. However, Grasso managed to secure a submission in the fourth round to take home the women's flyweight title.

In the build-up to their Noche UFC rematch, Valentina Shevchenko adopted a very stoic demeanor and looked entirely focused on reclaiming the title. Daniel Cormier recently offered an explanation for Shevchenko's pre-fight aura.

In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, 'DC' stated that Grasso's high-profile win may have pushed Shevchenko to train harder and mentally fortify herself. He said:

"When a dominant champion gets pushed. When a dominant champion fights someone that matches their level and exceeds it, it does make the best come out of most of them... Valentina now knows Alexa Grasso can beat her, but so does Alexa... She is pi**ed. Valentina's pi**ed that everybody's so locked in on the success that Alexa had and ignoring the success that she had inside the octagon."

Catch Cormier's comments below (5:00):

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Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso: 'Bullet' aims to correct the mistakes she made in her last fight

Valentina Shevchenko recently opened up about the mistakes she might've made in her last fight against Alexa Grasso at UFC 295. The former women's flyweight champion claimed that she may have lacked the intention to finish the fight as early as possible and promised not to make that mistake this weekend.

Shevchenko is set to face Grasso in a title rematch at Noche UFC at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on September 16.

During a pre-fight interview with MMA journalist Aaron Bronsteter, Valentina Shevchenko was asked how her last loss affected her mentality. 'Bullet' responded by stating that she doesn't want to dwell on the past and continued:

"What I had to take from that fight, I already took... I will go there with a lot of intentions to finish the fight and do it in a very, very strong manner. Maybe there was not as much [last time around]. Maybe I had more sympathy for her [Grasso] as a fighter. Maybe it was a mistake."