Katlyn Chookagian and Amanda Ribas put on one of the best fights of 2022 and were paid for their efforts following UFC Vegas 54. Chookagian defeated Ribas via split decision on the UFC Vegas 54 main card. It was a back-and-forth battle from start to finish and both fighters took home ‘Fight of the Night’…
Katlyn Chookagian and Amanda Ribas put on one of the best fights of 2022 and were paid for their efforts following UFC Vegas 54.
Chookagian defeated Ribas via split decision on the UFC Vegas 54 main card. It was a back-and-forth battle from start to finish and both fighters took home ‘Fight of the Night’ $50k bonuses following the event.
Chookagian, the No. 1 flyweight contender and a former title challenger, could get the next title shot against the Valentina Shevchenko/Taila Santos winner. She recently signed a new contract after entering free agency following her last win over Jennifer Maia.
Chookagian vs. Ribas wasn’t the only standout performance on the card. In the UFC Vegas 54 co-main event, light heavyweight Ryan Spann earned a statement win by choking out veteran Ion Cutelaba midway through the first round.
Spann has now won three of his last five fights despite losses to Johnny Walker and Anthony Smith. He earned a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus for his victory.
The other POTN bonus went to UFC debuting Manuel Torres, who earned a vicious first-round knockout of Frank Camacho following a series of wild exchanges.
Torres earned a shot in the UFC after an impressive showing on Dana White’s Contender Series last October, with a first-round knockout of Kolton Englund. He’s now won four straight fights.
What was your reaction watching Katlyn Chookagian vs. Amanda Ribas?
Katlyn Chookagian proved that she’s still a threat in the women’s flyweight division after earning a split decision victory over Amanda Ribas at UFC Vegas 54 this evening. The win was Chookagian’s fourth in a row and both women took home an extra $50K after earning Fight of the Night honors. #10-ranked flyweight Chookagian is…
Katlyn Chookagian proved that she’s still a threat in the women’s flyweight division after earning a split decision victory over Amanda Ribas at UFC Vegas 54 this evening.
The win was Chookagian’s fourth in a row and both women took home an extra $50K after earning Fight of the Night honors. #10-ranked flyweight Chookagian is now inching closer to gaining a second shot at champ Valentina Shevchenko, who she unsuccessfully challenged for the title in 2020.
Tonight’s bout was a thoroughly entertaining, back-and-forth affair. Ribas started strong, keeping Chookagian glued to the canvas for much of round one. But the American soon got back up and the duo traded heavy leather.
Round two saw Ribas dominate on the ground, but Chookagian landed a few heavy blows late on. And the fight stayed on the feet for much of round three, with the duo winging punches in a frenetic last minute of action.
Catch all the highlights of Chookagian’s victory over Ribas below.
UFC women’s flyweight contender Katlyn Chookagian has revealed how surprised she was by Amanda Ribas’ decision to accept their upcoming fight. On tonight’s UFC Vegas 54 card, headlined by top-five light heavyweights Jan Blachowicz and Aleksandar Raki?, Chookagian will look to continue her charge towards a second title shot. Since falling short against dominant champion…
Since falling short against dominant champion Valentina Shevchenko, “Blonde Fighter” has gone 4-1, falling only to former strawweight champion Jéssica Andrade. During her active three-fight win streak, which has cemented her status as the #1-ranked flyweight, Chookagian has defeated Cynthia Calvillo, Viviane Araújo, and Jennifer Maia.
Interestingly, despite her place on the 125-pound ladder, the 33-year-old’s next bout will come against a divisional newcomer. On Saturday’s main card, Chookagian will share the cage with Ribas.
Despite returning to 115 pounds following a successful flyweight debut against Paige VanZant in 2020, Ribas has decided to once again test the waters at 125 pounds. Given that she’s facing the #1 contender in the weight class, those waters look set to be choppy.
Chookagian herself has now admitted her surprise at the matchup. During UFC Vegas 54 media day on Wednesday, the former title challenger said that as well as being taken aback by the offer, she was even more shocked to hear that the Brazilian had accepted it.
“I was super surprised they asked me if I wanted to fight Amanda Ribas,” said Chookagian. “I was like, ‘Wait, at what weight class? At 125?’ Because I didn’t know she was — I didn’t hear anything about her wanting to move up, so I was a little shocked. I was like, ‘Yeah, definitely.’
“And I was like, ‘She’s probably not gonna say yes.’ Then they came back like, ‘Oh, she said yes.’ So I was like, ‘Wait, why did she say yes to me?’ I was like, ‘Ew.’ But yeah, I’m excited.”
Despite her surprise, Chookagian went on to detail why she thinks the matchup, which she branded a “win-win” for her opponent, makes sense for #9-ranked strawweight Ribas.
“To me, it makes sense. Coming from a different division, you fight someone that’s ranked super high, you get a good win, and you probably get talks about a title shot,” said Chookagian. “So, it’s kind of a win-win situation for her. But yeah, I’m excited. I’ll fight anyone. I don’t really care.”
On the flip side, given her proximity to the title and her run of wins in the division, fans would perhaps be forgiven for suggesting that the matchup doesn’t make much sense for Chookagian.
But for “Blonde Fighter,” the motto is ‘anyone, anywhere.’
Chookagian Not Fazed By Unranked Ribas: I Don’t Think Rankings Mean Much
When asked whether she was at all hesitant when the bout agreement was slid across the table by the UFC, Chookagian said that she targets fresh opponents, no matter their placement in the rankings, which she doesn’t believe to be as important as they used to be.
Chookagian also hopes that a precedent has been set with the matchup, meaning that if she ventures to bantamweight down the line, she’d be granted a similar high-ranked opponent straight out the gate.
“I don’t really worry about anyone else’s career, except for mine. I think it’s cool ’cause I’m like, ‘Ooh, wait, if I go to 135, will I get the number one contender and then get a title shot?’ But yeah, I don’t care,” added Chookagian. “I like fighting people that I haven’t fought before. I just need to keep winning. I don’t think the rankings, especially now, I don’t think they mean as much as they used to.”
Amanda Ribas was a big favorite in her last 3 fights.
UFC strawweight contender Michelle Waterson has to withdraw from her upcoming fight against Amanda Ribas due to a serious injury. Waterson was supposed to face Ribas on the upcoming UFC 274 card before suffering an injury in her camp. The details of the injury aren’t, clear and it’s also uncertain if she’ll require surgery. Waterson…
UFC strawweight contender Michelle Waterson has to withdraw from her upcoming fight against Amanda Ribas due to a serious injury.
Waterson was supposed to face Ribas on the upcoming UFC 274 card before suffering an injury in her camp. The details of the injury aren’t, clear and it’s also uncertain if she’ll require surgery.
“I’m hoping, keeping my fingers crossed that it is a short break,” Waterson said. “It’s an injury that stopped me from training, and it’s heartbreaking. I was really excited to fight Amanda. I know she was very excited to fight, as well, so hopefully it’s a fight that we can still have. But if I don’t take care of this injury, it will turn into something that can be worse and career ending.” (h/t Yahoo Sports)
After getting word of Waterson’s withdrawal, Ribas posted a comment on the Instagram video in support of her originally scheduled opponent.
“Heyy Michelle!” Ribas said. “Good recovery for you. Hope we can reschedule soon.”
Waterson has lost three of her last four fights and has had four different fights canceled since early 2020. She fell to Marina Rodriguez via unanimous decision in a flyweight headliner last May.
What is your reaction to Michelle Waterson’s potentially career-ending injury?
UFC strawweight contender Amanda Ribas has suggested something may have been wrong with featherweight champion Amanda Nunes prior to her shocking defeat at UFC 269.
Ahead of the final pay-per-view of 2021, Nunes reigned over two divisions, hadn’t l…
UFC strawweight contender Amanda Ribas has suggested something may have been wrong with featherweight champion Amanda Nunes prior to her shocking defeat at UFC 269.
Ahead of the final pay-per-view of 2021, Nunes reigned over two divisions, hadn’t lost since 2014, was riding a 12-fight win streak, and had cemented her place as the female MMA GOAT in the eye of most.
With those accolades in mind, she was expected to close the year out with a comfortable bantamweight title defense against Julianna Peña. What occurred in Las Vegas on December 11 was far from comfortable for “The Lioness.”
Proving that her fight week confidence and self-belief hadn’t been misplaced, and proving most fans and pundits wrong, Peña executed her strategy to perfection, tiring Nunes out on the feet and choking her out on the ground. The result will forever be seen as one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.
During the latest episode of MMA Fighting’s Portuguese-language podcast Trocação Franca, Ribas compared Nunes’ disappointing defeat to her own setback opposite Marina Rodriguez earlier in the year. Despite feeling prepared and good to go, something felt off on the night, a phenomenon she believes could have hit “The Lioness” at UFC 269.
“Maybe she had sinusitis and nobody knew,” Ribas said. “Imagine getting punched in the face and when you see it, wow. Nobody knows. Maybe she didn’t recover well from her weight cut. I haven’t spoken with her so I don’t know. Nobody knows what happened that day.
“In my opinion, I thought she looked a little, I don’t know, kind of the same way I was in my fight with Marina [Rodriguez]. I was fine, I was prepared, but [wasn’t 100 percent there]. And sometimes the Venezuelan was more active, wanted it more.”
Despite admitting the loss was difficult for her to accept as a fan and teammate of Nunes, Ribas expects the reigning featherweight titleholder to bounce back in 2022 and reclaim the bantamweight belt from “The Venezuelan Vixen.”
“It was complicated,” she said of her reaction to Nunes’ UFC 269 loss. “I have Amanda at the top, like no one’s getting near her and she’ll beat everybody. To me, she’s very smart in her game and has an extraordinary mind for the fight, so it’s hard to accept when she lost.
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“Maybe she’ll accept the loss better than me, as a fan. But nobody knows how she was [feeling] that day. Maybe she didn’t perform that day. Nobody knows what’s going on. It was sad, but I know she’ll bounce back. She’s still the [featherweight] champion. She’s only lost one belt and I’m sure she will reclaim it. [Peña] said she’ll give her an immediate rematch, and I can’t wait for it.” (h/t MMA Fighting)
Showing that her motivation and toughest hasn’t dwindled, Nunes was quick to accept. “The Lioness” will no doubt be returning to the Octagon with extra fire and hunger in 2022.
Do you think Amanda Nunes will reclaim the bantamweight gold if she runs it back with Julianna Peña in 2022?
Michelle Waterson and Amanda Ribas will finally be sharing the Octagon with one another.
Waterson and Ribas were booked to fight one another at UFC 257 in January on Fight Island but “The Karate Hottie” was forced out of the bout. Since then, Ribas…
Michelle Waterson and Amanda Ribas will finally be sharing the Octagon with one another.
Waterson and Ribas were booked to fight one another at UFC 257 in January on Fight Island but “The Karate Hottie” was forced out of the bout. Since then, Ribas has called her out a few times and now according to MMAFighting, they will fight one another on a Fight Night card on March 26. The location of the event has not been announced.
Michelle Waterson (18-9) is coming off a decision loss to Marina Rodriguez back in May, which served as the main event of the card. Prior to that, she earned a split decision win over Angela Hill which was also the main event. The victory snapped her two-fight losing skid after dropping a split decision to Carla Esparza and a five-round main event decision loss to Joanna J?drzejczyk.
Waterson is currently ranked ninth at strawweight and does hold notable wins over Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Paige VanZant, Jessica Penne, and Cortney Casey among others.
Amanda Ribas (11-2) returned to the win column back at UFC 267 as she earned a hard-fought decision win over Virna Jandiroba. In the fight prior, she was knocked out by Marina Rodriguez, who took the fight on short notice after Waterson was forced out of the scrap. The Brazilian is ranked 10th and started her UFC career out 4-0 with wins over Mackenzie Dern, Paige VanZant, Randa Markos, and Emily Whitmire.
Currently, only two fights are official on the March 26 card which sees Jan Blachowicz take on Aleksandar Rakic in the main event at light heavyweight. Sara McMann will also battle Karol Rosa.
Who do you think will win, Michelle Waterson or Amanda Ribas?
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