Chookagian, Green Get Big UFC 210 Wins, Gillespie’s Quick KO
Katlyn Chookagian may be on her way back into the top-15 among UFC's 135-pound women after UFC 210.
The 28 year-old bantamweight pulled off a close, but big victory over fellow prospect Irene Aldana via split decision. Following the bout, Chookagian spoke about her win in the cage.
“I put my last fight in the back of my mind. I’ve thought about it as I go on, but I was only focusing on this fight and I don’t think I realized until right now how much I needed this win to get my momentum back. To me, I think this fight was a huge fight that was overlooked. Anyone who follows women’s MMA could agree with that. We’re both new in this division and coming off losses, so I think we got pushed away. When she was fighting in Invicta I watched her and we have similar styles. When she made her UFC debut I was watching and thought ‘This girl is going to be really good.’ When I found out I was fighting her I was really excited because I feel we’re the new age of this division. We’re both really well-rounded and tough, we may not be veterans, but we’ve been training a lot longer and we’re very technical. I want to fight as often as I can, I’m young and I’m healthy and I want to get as many fights as I can now.”
Chookagian took home her second UFC win in nine months with the win over Aldana.
Elsewhere on the show, Desmond Green shut down the trash talk of Josh Emmett, as he settles into the lightweight division with another close, split decision.
“Did you hear the fans out there? I was like ‘Whoa, all of this is for me?’ Before the fight, win, lose or draw, I knew I had already won. This is so great. I’ve had to jump through so many obstacles to get here. I moved to two different countries, three different states, six different towns just to chase this one dream.”
“There was no added pressure fighting in my hometown. It was extra motivation. When I stepped in there, I have a lot of friends and family here, so I was riding their momentum and then when I heard them roar and scream my name it was like I was in there with the whole arena with all their power. I was like ‘Yes, give me more.’”
“It feels so good to go out there and set the tone for the evening. This whole camp, this whole week I’ve been telling Rumble (Anthony Johnson) and Kamaru Usman that I’m going to go out there and get the ball rolling for them. That we’re going to get a clean sweep and go 3-0 tonight. We’re going to take over this night. I feel like I set the bar for them and now it’s up to them. We’re going to go back to Florida and celebrate.”
“I want to fight someone better next, someone higher ranked. I just want to keep climbing these rankings and make my stake for the title. I’m ready. I want to fight before July, this is my dream. If they want me to fight next week, let’s do it.”
Green moves to 1-0 in the UFC, and has competed for the likes of Titan FC and Bellator MMA.
Also, with the UFC's back against the wall on their Fight Pass prelims and the clock ticking down to their FS1 prelims, Gregor Gillespie delivered for himself and the company with a 21 second knockout. You can check out his Octagon interview and finish above.
