Katlyn Chookagian is taking a business as usual approach to her first UFC title bout.
Chookagian will square off against reigning flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko, a fighter who is regarded as one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound female talents. Despite that daunting task, “Blonde Fighter” claims her approach hasn’t changed much from past fights.
“I think it’s just another fight. Yes it’s the title, and that’s what we’re all here for,” Chookagian said during a media call. “You can’t put these fights on a bigger pedestal. Every fight seems like the biggest fight.
“I prepare specifically for Valentina, but I’m confident in the way I’ve trained. Of course each time you make adjustments to try to get better and improve. My mentality is the same for every fight: train as hard as you can so you can be prepared at the day of the fight.”
Chookagian has been on a roll of late, winning five of her last six Octagon appearances to earn a shot at UFC gold. Becoming the best female mixed martial artist in the world was a goal of hers even before women were able to take center stage within the Las Vegas-based promotion.
“Whatever level I was training at, I always wanted to be the best,” she said. “When I started MMA I did’t know there was gonna be women in the UFC, but I wanted to be the best. Everybody puts Valentina on a pedestal, and you hear the talk about her not just being great as a female but great as a fighter. I’m excited that Valentina’s the champ and the challenge is there.
“This has been a lifelong goal of mine to be the best in the world.”
Chookagian will most likely enter UFC 247 as the biggest underdog on the card, and understandably so. She has a pair of split-decision losses to Jessica Eye and Liz Carmouche on her record, and both of those women were handled by Shevchenko with relative ease — although the methods of victory differed.
Despite those long odds, Chookagian plans to be as technical as possible come fight night. She won’t be risk averse, but she also won’t stray from what’s gotten her to this point.
“I like to think of myself as a technical fighter. I don’t get crazy. That’s not my style. I try to win strategically. That’s pretty much my game plan,” she said.
“I think I take pretty good risks. I only have two losses on my record. They were split decisions that could’ve gone either way. I think my style of fighting has put me in a pretty good position.”