5 biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Calvin Kattar vs. Giga Chikadze

Last night saw the first UFC Fight Night show of 2022, as Calvin Kattar battled Giga Chikadze in the headliner. Overall, the event was an up-and-down one.

On one hand, the headline bout was fantastic and may well turn out to be one of the better UFC fights of the year. On the other hand, the remainder of the card was largely forgettable.

As always, there were a number of big winners at this event. Those fighters are likely to climb the ladder – potentially into title contention – thanks to their victories.

With that in mind, here are the five biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Calvin Kattar vs. Giga Chikadze.

#5. Katlyn Chookagian – defeated Jennifer Maia in a UFC flyweight bout

It almost certainly won’t earn her another crack at flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, but Katlyn Chookagian’s victory over Jennifer Maia last night was definitely impressive. Maia had arguably given Shevchenko one of her toughest tests when they fought in 2020, but Chookagian basically whitewashed the Brazilian.

‘Blonde Fighter’ didn’t come close to gaining her first stoppage inside the octagon. However, the truth is, that at this stage, it’s probably safe to say that she just isn’t a finisher.

Despite that, she did work her long striking to ensure that Maia was kept at a distance. She took Maia down and controlled her on numerous occasions too.

Quite where Chookagian goes from here is anyone’s guess. Ranked as the No.2 flyweight in the promotion, it’s safe to say that she’s a genuinely elite fighter, but her lack of finishes will always prevent her from becoming a genuine star.

If she can continue to win tough fights like this, though, there’s no chance of the UFC looking to let her go any time soon. In the current climate, that might be the best possible thing for her – meaning she was definitely one of last night’s big winners.