Las Vegas, NV — Katlyn Chookagian is hoping for a new UFC contract following her latest win inside the octagon.
Chookagian (17-4) picked up her eighth win in the women’s flyweight division at UFC Vegas 46, which tied champion Valentina Shevchenko with the most in the division. In their rematch, she defeated Jennifer Maia and is now 2-0 in the rivalry.
“Blonde Fighter” revealed during her post-fight interview that the win over Maia was the last fight on her contract, and she is now a free agent. She hopes to stay with the UFC and get resigned.
“This was the last fight on my contract, so I think the UFC needs to re-sign me… I mean, I’m on a three-fight win streak against all top-five opponents, so I would hope they would resign me. They didn’t want to extend my contract before this fight, so hopefully, I proved that I belong here. I’m No. 2 in the division, and I’ve been No. 1 or No. 2 for like three or four years since the division started,” Chookagian told Cageside Press during her UFC Vegas 46 post-fight interview. “I have as many wins as Valentina [Shevchenko]; I have beaten more top 10 fighters than any fight fighter in the UFC, male or female. This is my 14th UFC fight, and all but two, maybe three were all top 10 opponents, so I think I earned my spot here in the UFC. Hopefully, I get that call next week.”
“I just hope I’m still a UFC fighter fighter after this performance.”
Chookagian said she will keep fighting whether it’s in Bellator or the PFL, but what she really wants is to stay with the UFC.
UFC President Dana White was asked later in the night if there were plans to resign Chookagian.
“Yeah, I know that we went into this fight with her fight being expired. She’s a free agent right now. I don’t know. That was between her and Mick [Maynard]. Mick did that deal with her, so we’ll see what happens. We will get back into the room on Tuesday and figure it out,” White said.
It will be interesting what happens with Chookagian over the next few weeks. The 33-year old continues to knock off contenders, but was defeated decisively in her title fight with Shevchenko
Watch the rest of Katlyn Chookagian’s UFC Vegas 46 post-fight interview above. More coverage from the event can be found below.