UFC 238 beefed up its card with a pair of top contender fights in both the strawweight and flyweight divisions.
Both additions of Tatiana Suarez vs. Nina Ansaroff, and Katlyn Chookagian vs. Joanne Calderwood to UFC 238 were reported by the Chicago Tribune.
There are only three fights on the card for UFC 238, but they are all important fights in the women’s divisions. Of course, the marquee announced bout is the flyweight title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Jessica Eye. With Suarez vs. Ansaroff and Chookagian vs. Calderwood, we could very well see the top contenders reveal themselves in two divisions prior to the title fight.
Tatiana Suarez is the next big thing at strawweight. An Ultimate Fighter winner, Suarez has been outright dominant in the Octagon with a 4-0 record and three stoppages, stopping former champion Carla Esparza in her last appearance. Prior to her promotional debut, Suarez tore through her season of TUF, going 3-0 with two submissions.
Nina Ansaroff, on the other hand, has had to prove her worth after losing her first two fights in the promotion. Ansaroff, the girlfriend of double-champion Amanda Nunes, has gone 4-0 since then against top-flight competition in Angela Hill, Randa Markos, and perennial contender Claudia Gadelha.
Katlyn Chookagian, a former CFFC champion, is a solid 4-2 in the UFC. She started out as a bantamweight, then dropped to flyweight when the division was opened. With wins in her first two fights at 125, she battled and controversially lost to current title challenger Jessica Eye by split decision.
Joanne Calderwood seems to finally be meeting the high expectations of her, perhaps due to fighting at 125. JoJo is 3-0 at flyweight in the Octagon (including the inaugural flyweight bout in 2016 prior to the division’s official adoption). Calderwood lost her last two fights at strawweight before the division was adopted, and is 2-0 since then including a very impressive win over top prospect Ariane Lipski.
UFC 238 takes place on June 8 inside the United Center of Chicago, Illinois. The three fights mentioned above are the only ones connected to the card.
