Katlyn Chookagian Deserves a Title Shot With a Win at UFC 280
It’s been over two and a half years since Katlyn Chookagian fought Valentina Shevchenko for the UFC women’s flyweight title. Now she is on the verge of earning a rematch with one of the GOATs of the sport.
Chookagian lost her first title fight to Shevchenko by a third-round TKO in a fight dominated by the Kyrgyz fighter. Since that loss, the Pennsylvania-born Chookagian has gone on a tear with five wins in her last six fights.
The lone loss since fighting Shevchenko came against Jéssica Andrade in a first-round TKO. Andrade went on to fight for the belt in her next fight but was also dominated by the powerful Shevchenko. That loss for Chookagian came after she defeated Valentina Shevchenko’s sister Antonina by unanimous decision.
After the loss to Andrade, something clicked for Chookagian who is riding a four-fight win streak going into her UFC 280 fight with Manon Fiorot. Over her win streak, Chookagian has beaten some of the flyweight division’s toughest fighters. The streak started with a unanimous decision victory over current #14 ranked Cynthia Calvillo before beating #7 ranked Viviane Araújo and #8 ranked Jennifer Maia. Her most recent fight was against Amanda Ribas who was making her flyweight debut this past May.
When her win streak started Chookagian was the #2 ranked flyweight and has since taken over that top spot. She should be next in line to fight for the belt if she defeats #6 ranked Fiorot at UFC 280 on Saturday.
There are a few reasons why she should be next up to fight Valentina Shevchenko. For starters, Chookagian would be on a five-fight win streak having beaten three top 10 fighters. Chookagian looks in the best position to do so ahead of #3 ranked Lauren Murphy who beat Miesha Tate in July. However, that brings me to the next reason why Chookagian should be next to fight for UFC women’s flyweight gold ahead of Murphy.
Murphy fought Valentina Shevchenko two fights ago at UFC 266 in September of 2021 losing by TKO. She is not the only one who has fallen to Valentina Shevchenko since Chookagian fought her. “The Bullet” has been on one of the greatest title defense streaks in UFC history with eight straight title defenses that have seen her beat the top four ranked fighters. Since their first fight, Valentina Shevchenko has been flawless while Chookagian has improved greatly.
The only other fighter in the title picture is #5 ranked Alexa Grasso. Grasso beat Araújo this past Saturday in a fight night main event. The win extended Grasso’s win streak to four fights tying Chookagian’s current streak. If the UFC wants to see some new blood take on Valentina Shevchenko, then Grasso is the choice, but Chookagian has done more to earn the title shot by beating higher-level opponents. During her win streak, Grasso has beaten just one fighter currently ranked in the top 10. A win at UFC 280 for Chookagian would make it her third win over a top 10 opponent on her win streak.
Chookagian and Fiorot open up the main card for UFC 280 on Saturday, Oct. 22 in Abu Dhabi. And a win for Katlyn Chookagian would put her as the clear favorite to be the next title challenge in the UFC women’s flyweight division especially since Fiorot is currently on a nine-fight winning streak.
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