A flyweight bout between former title challenger Katlyn Chookagian and top ranked Cynthia Calvillo is being targeted for UFC 255 on November 21.
Per a report from the UFC’s official broadcaster, a flyweight bout between former title challenger Katlyn Chookagian and fourth-ranked Cynthia Calvillo is being targeted for November 21. Brett Okamoto of ESPN was the first to report the news. The fight will be the fourth appearance in 2020 for Chookagian, who fought just two weeks ago. Meanwhile, Calvillo will be making her second appearance of 2020 after having her fight with Lauren Murphy at UFC 254 cancelled after testing positive for COVID-19.
Katlyn Chookagian (14-4) is looking to bounce back from a disheartening first round loss to former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade two weeks ago in Abu Dhabi. The fight was the latest in a busy year for Chookagian, who started 2020 challenging Valentina Shevchenko for the title in February. After coming up short, she bounced back with a win over Shevchenko’s sister, Antonina, in May. The latest booking is interesting as Chookagian has also expressed a desire to start a family after being recently married, and hinted that she would likely quit competing at that point.
Cynthia Calvillo recently debuted in the flyweight division with a win over former title challenger Jessica Eye in June. Calvillo had been coming off a draw and two victories at strawweight leading up to the bout and the victory immediately put her on the short list of title contenders for the dominant champion Shevchenko. Calvillo had previously been scheduled for what was considered a number one contender fight against Lauren Murphy for UFC 254, but was pulled from the bout after testing positive for COVID-19 before flying to Abu Dhabi from Las Vegas.
Notably, the card is being headlined by flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko taking on Jennifer Maia and it is quite possible that Calvillo could serve as a backup for the the title fight in the event that Maia is not able to participate.
