MEXICO CITY – Prior to her last fight at UFC 238, Alexa Grasso struggled to find consistency.

Saturday night, Grasso (11-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) can turn a single victory into a winning streak when she takes on Carla Esparza (14-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) at UFC on ESPN+ 17.

The Mexican strawweight had three straight fights canceled prior to her most recent fight in June. Grasso was out of action for 13 months, but returned to put on one of her most prolific performances to date. At UFC 238, Grasso defeated former UFC title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz by unanimous decision.

Saturday night, Grasso wants to take another step in making up for the lost time. Healthy and motivated, Grasso believes improvements will be on full display in her home country of Mexico.

“First, I want to pay the time I was out because of the injuries,” Grasso told MMA Junkie. “It was a hard year for me. Now that I’m healthy, I can be more careful about my training and my health. Each fight I want to be clean and good, so I can fight more times a year.”

Grasso has become a mainstay for the UFC when they travel to Mexico. The 26-year-old fighter has competed three times in her native country, but it hasn’t become any less exciting for her.

“I’m super excited and thankful with the UFC because this is the fourth time I’m in the co-main event in my country,” Grasso said. “This is super important for me. Because of the altitude, it requires a lot of effort from each fighter and also for me and my team. I’m super excited.”

When Grasso was offered Esparza she said she was astonished. Grasso voiced respect for the inaugural UFC strawweight champion and said she still admires Esparza to this day.

“When my coach told me about the fight, I was like, ‘Oh my God, like wow,'” Grasso said. “She’s a great challenge because she’s a great wrestler. She was Invicta champion. I saw her when I started my career. She was the first UFC champion, so it’s a big challenge.

“I admire her so much. I think I deserve this fight. We are both good athletes. We are both talented and I’m glad to be here.”

When she envisions the fight in her head, Grasso pictures a striker versus grappler matchup. That said, she believes both her and her opponent are making the necessary improvements to make their games more well-rounded.

“I’ve been working so, so, so hard,” Grasso said. “I’ve been working my wrestling and jiu-jitsu, so the fight can go everywhere. I know she’s working her hands, too. In her last fights, she has good hands, so I know that she’s going to try to use her hands, too. I’m going to use my wrestling, so it’s going to be a perfect matchup.”

UFC on ESPN+ 17 takes place Saturday at Arena Ciudad de Mexico. The card streams on ESPN+.