Order UFC 280 "Oliveira vs. Makhachev" exclusively on ESPN+
Women’s Flyweights
#6 WFLW | Manon Fiorot (9-1, 4-0 UFC) vs. #1 WFLW | Katlyn Chookagian (18-4, 11-4 UFC)ODDS: Fiorot (-200), Chookagian (+170)
It is a completely wide-open race to see who gets to be Valentina Shevchenko’s next challenger at 125 pounds, and Fiorot can stake her claim and complete a stunning rise with a win here. A late-notice signing early in 2021, France’s Fiorot was essentially a question mark upon making her way to the Octagon. She looked good on the regional scene but had a clear athletic advantage against most of her opposition that made it relatively easy going. That was still somewhat the book on Fiorot through her first two UFC bouts, but “The Beast” looked every bit the dominant force she should have against two more athletically overmatched opponents, so it was not necessarily a surprise when she capped off the year with a one-sided win over Mayra Bueno Silva that marked her as ready for a push up the ranks. Her March win over Jennifer Maia was an impressive bit of business that answered lots of questions about the Frenchwoman, mostly in the positive. The stout and stalwart Maia managed to break her run of perfect takedown defense, but Fiorot physically held her own as a wrestler while mixing pace and power on the feet. Now comes a much different challenge—and a historically frustrating one—against Chookagian. At this point, Shevchenko appears to be the only full-time flyweight in the UFC clearly better than Chookagian, which is a testament to her improvement over the years and a frustrating sign of the lack of an upper crust at 125 pounds. Dating back to her time as a bantamweight, Chookagian has made her hay with an elusive style built around volume and speed in lieu of much potential for violence, with the cut down to flyweight giving her even more of a reach advantage against most of the division without sacrificing much in the way of athleticism. That has often turned her fights into affairs where her opponents unsuccessfully try to make much happen. To her credit, Chookagian has mixed things up to become a much more diverse fighter since getting annihilated by Shevchenko in a 2020 title challenge. If a style matchup calls for it, Chookagian is much more willing to pivot to wrestling and has generally shown a willingness to pressure and sit down on her punches in order to win rounds, even if she is still not much of a knockout threat. Chookagian is still the larger fighter, but there is a level of physical parity that makes this an interesting pairing. Fiorot is not much smaller, and she is much more physically powerful and willing to fight behind a kicking game that should be able to neutralize a lot of Chookagian’s range approach. Of the two, Fiorot does seem to be the one to be more bothered by fighting someone her own size. In the rare moments she has faced some effective resistance, there does seem to be a lack of comfort, even if Fiorot has been more than capable of eating damage and giving some back. If Chookagian can channel some early aggression, find some success and perhaps get a takedown or two, there is a chance she could take Fiorot out of the fight before it gets going. Still, this does seem to be a matchup where the rising French contender can make up for any mental or strategic issues with her outsized effectiveness. She is obviously the harder hitter in a fight where both women should be able to touch each other, and she is strong enough that any attempts to wrestle should pay dividends, provided she shows some initiative. The pick is Fiorot via decision.
Jump To »
Oliveira vs. Makhachev
Sterling vs. Dillashaw
Yan vs. O’Malley
Gamrot vs. Dariush
Fiorot vs. Chookagian
The Prelims