[autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag] still is a problem for the UFC flyweight division.
The former title challenger stymied [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] on the main card of UFC 255 on Saturday night. In a fight that was mainly a boxing match, Chookagian (15-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) outpointed her foe, earning a unanimous decision at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on judges’ scores of 30-27 across the board.
Chookagian is a former bantamweight and Calvillo (9-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) recently moved up from strawweight, and the standup played out like fighters who were once two weight classes apart suggest.
Calvillo is a tenacious competitor in the pocket, but she wasn’t able to close the distance often enough to make a difference. Calvillo had her best round in the first, outstriking Chookagian 26-23 in a close stanza.
But Chookagian’s length, range, and footwork were simply too much. She darted in and out and landed with precision, that did a matador act when Calvillo tried to answer. Calvillo managed to land just often enough to keep her opponent honest, but never got off any sustained offense, nor did she get any real opportunities to set up her ground game.
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Chookagian outlanded Calvillo in significant strikes 70-51 as she cruised to the decision. With the win, Chookagian, who lost to Jessica Andrade last month, has now won two of her past three.
“It feels amazing. The best way to get over a loss is to have a win,” Chookagian said in her post-fight interview. “So to come out here tonight and do it is amazing. “
Calvillo had a four-fight unbeaten streak snapped. Both of her career losses went the distance.
The flyweight bout was part of the UFC 255 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2/ESPN+.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 255 results:
- Katlyn Chookagian def. Cynthia Calvillo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Paul Craig def. Shogun Rua via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:36
- Brandon Moreno def. Brandon Royval via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:59
- Joaquin Buckley def. Jordan Wright via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 0:18
- Antonina Shevchenko def. Ariane Lipski via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:33
- Nicolas Dalby def. Daniel Rodriguez via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Alan Jouban def. Jared Gooden via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Kyle Daukaus def. Dustin Stoltzfus via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Sasha Palatnikov def. Louis Cosce via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:27
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