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#4. Katlyn Chookagian – defeated Amanda Ribas in a UFC flyweight bout
Given the exciting nature of Davey Grant’s bantamweight clash with Louis Smolka, it was surprising to see the flyweight bout between Katlyn Chookagian and Amanda Ribas given the $50K bonus for putting on the 'Fight of the Night'.
However, there’s no disputing that their clash was an excellent one. Both women exchanged heavy duty strikes throughout before Chookagian picked up a narrow split-decision victory.
Will the win move ‘Blonde Fighter’ into a title shot against current UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko? It’s unlikely. Sure, she’s on a four-fight win streak, but she was whitewashed by ‘The Bullet’ in their 2020 fight and hasn’t improved notably since then.
Nevertheless, it’s impossible to play down this win for her, simply because for once, it came in exciting fashion. Usually derided as one of the UFC’s duller fighters to watch, Chookagian produced the goods last night. While it was a closer fight than she is used to, it worked for her.
Will we see her switch styles now to become more reckless – as former welterweight contender Chris Lytle once did? Only time will tell, but this was an excellent performance from her.
#3. Manuel Torres – defeated Frank Camacho in a UFC lightweight bout
Practically every UFC event these days features at least one or two debutants looking to make a splash. Last night’s best one was undoubtedly Mexico’s Manuel Torres, who sparked out Frank Camacho in the first round.
The knockout was so good that it earned ‘El Loco’ a $50K bonus cheque. That should mean he’ll have plenty of hype behind him going into his next fight, whenever that might be.
Torres already had a total of 11 finishes before last night, with five coming via knockout and six via submission. That includes a TKO in his appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series.
However, Camacho was clearly his toughest test to date. Sure, nobody would mistake ‘The Crank’ as a UFC lightweight contender. However, in his previous octagon appearances, he’d displayed an iron chin, making him a tricky match for the newcomer.
Torres didn’t show that at all, though – waylaying his opponent with a series of brutal punches. He eventually ended his night with a nasty combination in just over three minutes.
It’s too early to tell, but right now, it looks like the future is bright for ‘El Loco’. Fans will now be excited to see him again, making him a huge winner on the night.
