The newly re-signed Katlyn Chookagian is stepping in to face Amanda Ribas at the UFC’s May 14 Fight Night event.
Ribas was originally booked opposite Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson in a strawweight fight booked for UFC Columbus, and later pushed back to UFC 274. However, with Waterson withdrawing due to injury, Chookagian (17-4) is set to take on Amanda Ribas (11-2) at the mid-May show.
Brazilian outlet Combate was first to report news of the booking last month, which Chookagian confirmed on her Instagram story on Friday.
With three straight wins, Chookagian, a former women’s flyweight title challenger, is riding a considerable head of steam into the fight. However, she had fought out her UFC deal in her last outing, leaving her contract status up in the air.
On Friday, The Underground’s John Morgan confirmed that Chookagian had signed with management firm Dominance MMA, and been booked into the Ribas fight.
In three consecutive outings, Chookagian, a.k.a. “Blonde Fighter,” has picked up victories over Cynthia Calvillo, Viviane Araujo, and Jennifer Maia. She is currently ranked #2 in the women’s flyweight division.
Ribas got back in the win column last October, defeating ex-Invicta FC champ Virna Jandiroba to bounce back from the first loss of her UFC run. That came against Marina Rodriguez. Both of those fights came at strawweight, however; the bout with Chookagian will mark her first as a flyweight since a July 2020 submission of Paige VanZant.
The UFC’s May 14, 2022 event is anticipated to take place at the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The following bouts are currently expected to take place on the card:
- Jan Błachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic
- Viviane Araújo vs. Andrea Lee
- Frank Camacho vs. Manuel Torres
- Daniel Pineda vs. Jamall Emmers
- Angela Hill vs. Virna Jandiroba
- Nick Maximov vs. Andre Petroski
- Davey Grant vs. Louis Smolka
- Ryan Spann vs. Ion Cuțelaba
- Katlyn Chookagian vs. Amanda Ribas
- Jake Hadley vs. Allan Nascimento
