Katlyn Chookagian: "I want to fight for the title again, I wouldn’t be doing this otherwise"
At UFC on ESPN 9, Katlyn Chookagian managed to stun a majority section of the MMA fan base after securing a win over the highly-decorated prospect, Antonina Shevchenko. Katlyn Chookagian was entering the fight on a considerably low point as she had been dominated in a pretty one-sided fight against the champion, Valentina Shevchenko.
Antonina Shevchenko, on the other hand, was coming off an impressive win over Lucie Pudilova, a fight that had also received a post-fight honor. So it wasn't surprising that many considered that Katlyn Chookagian would most probably get dominated in a similar fashion as her last fight but this around by the older sister.
However, Katlyn Chookagian managed to deliver impressive performance and secured a unanimous decision to win, improving her record to 14-3. The win was 7th in the UFC and reaffirmed her position as a flyweight contender. This win didn't make Katlyn Chookagian delusional, she made that clear in the post-fight press conference.
“I just want to keep fighting. Obviously, I want to fight for the title again – otherwise, I wouldn’t be doing this. I understand I just lost (a title fight) and there are a couple other girls that will get their opportunity. It’s not like it was a close fight with me and (women’s flyweight champion) Valentina (Shevchenko). I understand that. I just want to keep getting fights. I don’t care where they’re ranked."
Katlyn Chookagian's impressive performance has put her back on the radar but her statement that there are other girls out there is very true. Joanne Calderwood is all set to have her crack at the title on June but a leg injury forced Valetina Shevchenko out. Another importatnt fights lined up for the division will be seen at UFC 251 when Lauren Murphy takes on Roxanne Modafferi.
As for Katlyn Chookigian she has a decent amount of fights avaialble for her as the division is still very young. What are your thoughts on her future? Where do you think she goes next?