Tag: Katlyn Chookagian

Chookagian On Ribas Booking: Ew, Why Did She Say Yes To Fight Me?

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…

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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 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.”

How do you think the fight between Katlyn Chookagian and Amanda Ribas will play out at UFC Vegas 54?

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Katlyn Chookagian To Namajunas/Esparza Critics: Why Don’t You Do It?

Former UFC flyweight title challenger Katlyn Chookagian has a message for the critics of the UFC 274 fight between Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza. Esparza defeated Namajunas via split decision in the UFC 274 co-headliner. Chookagian is far from the first fighter to make her opinion known on the matchup, as Aljamain Sterling and Belal…

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Former UFC flyweight title challenger Katlyn Chookagian has a message for the critics of the UFC 274 fight between Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza.

Esparza defeated Namajunas via split decision in the UFC 274 co-headliner. Chookagian is far from the first fighter to make her opinion known on the matchup, as Aljamain Sterling and Belal Muhammad are just a few of the other names who have weighed in.

UFC President Dana White also criticized the lack of volume and output in the Namajunas vs. Esparza fight. He alluded to the fact that fans aren’t clamoring for a third fight between the two strawweight pioneers happening anytime soon.

During her UFC Vegas 54 pre-fight press conference, Chookagian gave her thoughts on how the Namajunas/Esparza rematch played out.

“I feel kinda bad for the girls because it’s so easy to criticize them when no one’s been in there,” Chookagian said. “Sometimes it’s just the style matchups, it’s just the day. Both of those girls are not boring fighters, they’re there for a reason.

“I think it’s so easy to criticize them and say ‘Oh, it’s the most boring fight.’ W,ell you get in there and fight five rounds for the world title, and your whole life is worked up to that moment.”

“Sometimes you’re just physically not there, sometimes it’s the style matchups that call for a boring fight. Look at before that fight, they both had highlights that were amazing. So they’re not boring fighters, so I don’t think that they didn’t try. Sometimes it’s just the circumstances. There’s so many factors that go into it.

“I feel bad that they got so much criticism because they’re such amazing fighters, and I don’t feel like Carla got the full credit she deserves for winning that fight.”

Chookagian will face Amanda Ribas on the UFC Vegas 54 main card this weekend. She’s looking to move one step closer to another potential flyweight title shot.

The UFC 274 co-headliner fell way short of expectations, but Chookagian thinks fans and pundits criticizing Namajunas and Esparza should put themselves in their shoes.

Do you agree with Katlyn Chookagian’s comments?

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Katlyn Chookagian Becomes A Free Agent After UFC Vegas 46 Win

Katlyn Chookagian fought out her contract at UFC Vegas 46 on Saturday night.

Chookagian was rematching Jennifer Maia where she picked up another decision win in a solid performance. It was Chookagian’s 10th UFC win, which all have come by decision,…

Katlyn Chookagian

Katlyn Chookagian fought out her contract at UFC Vegas 46 on Saturday night.

Chookagian was rematching Jennifer Maia where she picked up another decision win in a solid performance. It was Chookagian’s 10th UFC win, which all have come by decision, and cemented herself as one of the top contenders at flyweight. However, after her win, she revealed that was the last fight of her deal and the UFC declined to offer a new contract before the scrap.

“This was the last fight on my contract, and usually when you have one more, they renegotiate your contract,” Chookagian said at the post-fight press conference. “So when they offered this fight, I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m up for negotiation for a new contract,’ and they were like, ‘Oh no, we want you to fight this [contract] out.’

“That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to cut me, but it’s usually not good news. Hopefully with this performance, I’d like to think they want to keep me. I want to stay here. So hopefully I proved that tonight,” Chookagian continued.

Image Credit: Katlyn Chookagian Instagram

Katlyn Chookagian is currently ranked second at women’s flyweight and is on a three-fight winning streak. Before beating Maia for the second time, she defeated Viviane Araujo and Cynthia Calvillo. She’s currently 10-4 in the UFC and has fought for UFC gold once losing by TKO to Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 247.

With her not being under contract, the hope for Chookagian is to reach a deal soon which would lead her to get another crack at the belt.

“I think the UFC needs to re-sign me before I think about [a title shot],” Chookagian said. “I’m on a three-fight win streak, all top-five opponents, so I would hope they re-sign me. They didn’t want to extend my contract before this fight, so hopefully I proved I belong here. I’m No. 2 in the division. I’ve been No. 2 or No. 1 for three or four years since the division started. I have as many wins as Valentina [Shevchenko]. I’ve beaten probably more top-10 fighters than any other fighter in the UFC, male or female. This is my 14th fight. I think all but two, maybe three, were all top-10 opponents.

“So I think I earned my spot here in the UFC,” she concluded. “So hopefully I get that call next week. I just hope that I’m still a UFC fighter after this performance… I’m a fighter. I’ll keep fighting no matter what, but I want to stay in the UFC, for sure.”

Do you think the UFC will re-sign Katlyn Chookagian?

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Katlyn Chookagian Decisions Jennifer Maia – UFC Vegas 46 Highlights

Katlyn ChookagianOn the UFC Vegas 46 main card, we had a big flyweight fight with title implications when Katlyn Chookagian rematched Jennifer Maia. In the first round, ‘Blonde Fighter’ displayed her slick striking and effective wrestling skills to take an early lead. It was a similar story in the second stanza as Chookagian landed frequently and eventually […]

Katlyn Chookagian

On the UFC Vegas 46 main card, we had a big flyweight fight with title implications when Katlyn Chookagian rematched Jennifer Maia.

In the first round, ‘Blonde Fighter’ displayed her slick striking and effective wrestling skills to take an early lead.

It was a similar story in the second stanza as Chookagian landed frequently and eventually found herself in a dominant grappling position.

The fight remained on the feet throughout round three which Chookagian was able to dominate from range with lots of volume.

OFFICIAL DECISION. Katlyn Chookagian def. Jennifer Maia via unanimous decision

Katlyn Chookagian Rejects The Notion That She Tapped At UFC 262

Despite winning a unanimous decision against Viviane Araujo at UFC 262, many believe Katlyn Chookagian’s win to be filled with controversy. Slated for the main card, there were lots of eyeballs on the fight between Araujo and Chookagian. While th…

Despite winning a unanimous decision against Viviane Araujo at UFC 262, many believe Katlyn Chookagian’s win to be filled with controversy. Slated for the main card, there were lots of eyeballs on the fight between Araujo and Chookagian. While the weight class isn’t the deepest, Katlyn Chookagian is on a 2-fight win streak now, and […]

Continue Reading Katlyn Chookagian Rejects The Notion That She Tapped At UFC 262 at MMA News.

Katlyn Chookagian Denies Tapping Against Viviane Araujo

ChookagianThere was some controversy in the Katlyn Chookagian vs. Viviane Araujo fight last night. Chookagian ended up winning a unanimous decision in her women’s flyweight contest with Araujo on the UFC 262 main card. However, it was revealed that Chookagian may have tapped during a mounted submission attempt from Araujo in the second round. Although […]

Chookagian

There was some controversy in the Katlyn Chookagian vs. Viviane Araujo fight last night.

Chookagian ended up winning a unanimous decision in her women’s flyweight contest with Araujo on the UFC 262 main card. However, it was revealed that Chookagian may have tapped during a mounted submission attempt from Araujo in the second round.

Although it was brought up by the commentary team following the second round, they appeared to agree that it wasn’t a tap.

However, others disagree.

Naturally, Chookagian denied she tapped as she felt the submission attempt wasn’t in place for her to even need to tap in the first place.

“What submission?” Chookagian said in the post-fight press conference (via MMA Junkie). “You have to have your hands locked to have the submission. She had a headlock because she doesn’t know her jiu-jitsu. Yeah, no (there was no tap). You have to have a submission to get the tap. Definitely not.”

As for what’s next, Chookagian — who is now on a two-fight winning streak — is looking towards a new opponent in Alexa Grasso.

“I’ve been in this division since it opened,” Chookagian added. “I’ve beat No. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, so obviously I’ll fight anyone. But the one girl that’s in the top 10 that I haven’t fought is Alexa Grasso.

“Everyone talks about how good her boxing is and when I watch that, I get a bit of a chip on my shoulder. I think I have the best boxing in the division, so that fight interests me, but I’ll fight anyone. I don’t care.”

Given that Chookagian lost to Valentina Shevchenko and Jessica Andrade, a win over Grasso and a few others would likely be required if she was to challenge for the title again.