For American athlete Kathleen Chookagyan, the UFC 280 tournament in Abu Dhabi has become a real test of strength. The number one flyweight managed to get into trouble three times in just a couple of days.

The girl had to undress in front of a huge crowd to get weighed, but all the sacrifices were in vain. The athlete was unable to make weight and lost part of the fee, and then suffered a crushing defeat in the octagon.

Better not come at all!

Stripped down for a fight

American Kathleen Chookagian (18-5) was number one in the women’s flyweight division before UFC 280. The 33-year-old athlete made a serious bid for a second fight for the championship belt: the US representative had four wins in a row.

One more fight won would surely help Kathleen get the right to fight for the UFC title with Valentina Shevchenko, who owns the flyweight title. Chookagyan’s next opponent at the tournament in Abu Dhabi was the Frenchwoman Manon Fioro (10-1), who occupied the sixth line of the rating before the fight.

Kathleen Chookagian and Manon Fioro / Photo: © Chris Unger / Contributor / UFC / Gettyimages.com

But even before the start of the fight, Kathleen had serious problems. At the official weigh-in, she could not fit into the established framework. In order not to get suspended from the fight, the American went to extreme measures. She decided to hide behind a screen and completely undress in front of a huge crowd in order to get rid of extra grams, but this did not help. The girl lacked almost 700 grams to the upper bar of the weight category.

Fortunately for the athlete, Dana White did not cancel the girls’ duel. True, Chookagyan had to part with 20% of his fee for this fight. This amount went into the pocket of the French athlete after the end of the tournament.

The collapse of all hopes

Chookagyan’s troubles in Abu Dhabi didn’t stop there. The fight with Fioro didn’t turn out the way she expected. The beginning of the meeting turned out to be vigorous for the American. She delivered more accented blows, and in general she looked good, but she was not much inferior to her opponent.

In the second round, Kathleen slowed down dramatically. She began to hit much less, increasingly shaking the air with sweeping blows. Often, her attacks were interrupted in the initial phase. Fioro tritely threw forward her right leg or a single jab. And if the American was still approaching, then the opponent often hit the right hook well.

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The third round followed a similar scenario, but at a slower pace. The tribunes even began to react with a hum to the sluggish course of the duel. If Fioro periodically hit the American with her single jabs, then Kathleen looked as pale as possible.

As a result, the judges gave a unanimous victory to Manon Fior with the same score of 29:28. Kathleen, on the other hand, will return home to the United States sloppy: with a defeat in the liability, without a chance for a championship fight, and even with financial losses.