Lauren Murphy

UFC Matchmaker: Lauren Murphy – Katlyn Chookagian 2

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Lauren Murphy, UFC

This past weekend at UFC 255, Katlyn Chookagian (15-4) was able to get back on the winning side of things. She was very impressive in her unanimous decision victory over top contender, Cynthia Calvillo (9-2-1).

Chookagian had just fought about a month ago on Fight Island. She was stopped in the first round by former UFC strawweight champion, Jessica Andrade. Despite being stopped, Chookagian still entered UFC 255 as the second ranked contender at flyweight.

She did a fantastic job of keeping the fight at standing and at range on Saturday night. Calvillo couldn’t get anything going and Chookagian did a fantastic job of picking her apart from the outside.

The result was a dominant 30-27 victory for the former title challenger. After the fight was over, Chookagian made it clear that she believes anyone who wants a title shot must go through her first to get it. She also called a potential opponent easy money.

“Obviously, anyone that wants to fight Valentina probably has to fight me first. I’ve already beaten Lauren Murphy, but I’ll do it again. It’s an easy paycheck, so whatever,” Chookagian told the media at the post-fight press conference.

Will the UFC book the rematch?

In all honesty, this is the fight that makes the most sense for the UFC. I believe the best fight they can make right now is Chookagian against Lauren Murphy (14-4). Murphy has won four in a row on her way to being ranked fifth in the flyweight division.

The two previously fought back in 2016 and Chookagian won the fight by unanimous decision. Obviously, both of the fighters have improved since their first fight over four years ago.

Murphy was really pushing for a title shot after her last fight, but that was always a long shot. While she had wins over ranked contenders, nobody was near the very top of the division. A win over Chookagian would solidify her status as a top contender.

Chookagian is trying to get another shot at UFC gold. To do that, she’s going to need to string together another win or two. That could start with a victory over Murphy which would give her two straight victories over top five contenders.

Does Lauren Murphy deserve a title shot after UFC 254?

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Lauren Murphy, UFC

One of the more vocal fighters after UFC 254 was flyweight contender, Lauren Murphy (14-4). Murphy was originally supposed to take on Cynthia Calvillo, but at the last minute she ended up fighting Lilya Shakirova at UFC 254.

The flyweight contender looked really solid in all areas on Saturday. Murphy looked solid on the feet, and she showed good skills on the ground. Murphy said she wanted to lock up her first submission victory and she was able to do just that.

UFC 254 marked the fourth straight time that Murphy has made the walk successfully. She’s taken on ranked opponents in the division and finished two of her last four opponents. Murphy was very vocal about wanting a title shot in her post-fight interview.

Later on at the post-fight press conference, Murphy continued to show frustrations of getting passed up. She talked about Jennifer Maia. getting the next shot at Valentina Shevchenko. Let’s just say that Murphy is not thrilled with Maia’s title shot.

What should the UFC do?

For context, JoJo Calderwood was originally supposed to face Valentina Shevchenko in June. However, the UFC champion sustained an injury that would cause the fight to be delayed. Calderwood decided to roll the dice and fight Maia.

Maia went on to finish Calderwood by submission in the first round. Because of the finish of the top contender, the UFC decided to give Maia the shot. However, her resume doesn’t really scream top contender as she’s just 3-2 in her last five fights.

Granted, her two losses were to former title challengers. Murphy does have a point in that she’s won four in a row against ranked caliber opponents. So what should the UFC do? Obviously, the promotion isn’t going to take away the title fight from Maia.

I also don’t think sitting and waiting is going to help Murphy. Instead, I think the UFC should book her against who’s probably the front runner for the next title shot, Jessica Andrade. Andrade made her flyweight debut at UFC Fight Island 6 and finished top contender Katlyn Chookagian. 

The former strawweight champion is finally competing in what she believes is her natural weight class. Andrade just fought and Murphy just fought. The logical move to me is to have the UFC pair both of them together and the winner should fight the flyweight champion early next year.

Cynthia Calvillo – Lauren Murphy targeted for UFC 254

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UFC 254 is getting a fight between two top five women’s flyweight contenders. Cynthia Calvillo (9-1-1) and Lauren Murphy (13-4) are expected to throw down per MMA Fighting.

Fight for the next UFC title shot?

Cynthia Calvillo didn’t mess around when she made the move up to flyweight this year. After struggling with her weight to stay at strawweight, Calvillo moved up to what’s more of her natural weight class.

In her first fight in the division, she took on the number one ranked contender at the time, Jessica Eye. Eye had only lost one fight in the division and that was to the current UFC champion, Valentina Shevchenko.

Calvillo and Eye got a main event slot at UFC on ESPN 10, and Calvillo put on quite the performance. She used her strong grappling base to neutralize Eye and get the unanimous decision victory.

Because she moved right in and took out the number one contender, she made her flyweight rankings debut at number two. Her impressive victory in her first fight proved that she could hang, and some thought she could be ready for a title shot.

We now know that Jennifer Maia is getting the next shot at the champion, Shevchenko at UFC 255. With that, Calvillo will need one more fight to get to a title shot.

That is where the fourth ranked fighter in the UFC‘s flyweight division, Murphy, steps in. Murphy is no joke herself and she’s coming into this contest riding a three fight winning streak.

In her last fight, Murphy put on an excellent performance over the tough Roxanne Modafferi. That win put Murphy squarely in the top five, perhaps just a win away from the title shot.

These two ladies are likely next in line for a shot at the title. We do not know what this means for Katelyn Chookagian. However, these two will face at UFC 254 and the winner will likely have their eyes focused on the UFC 255 co-main event.

UFC: Lauren Murphy Looking For Big Fight With Rising Flyweight

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Lauren Murphy, UFC

The situation in the UFC women’s flyweight division is one of the more intriguing ones right now. One of the top-ranked names in the division, sitting at number two, is Cynthia Calvillo – and before now, she didn’t have a rank in the division at all. That’s because Calvillo is moving up from strawweight after having trouble making weight, and after picking up the win in the main event of UFC on ESPN 10, she’s been placed at the number two contender spot in the rankings.

Already, though, there are other fighters gunning for her position. That includes Lauren Murphy, who was victorious at UFC on ESPN 11 against Roxanne Modafferi. Murphy is at number seven in the rankings but like much of the division, fell when Calvillo was inserted at number two. That’s despite bouncing back from a 1-1 start in the division by winning her last three fights.

“I have the longest win streak in the flyweight division right now and all of my wins are over ranked opponents. Nobody else in the flyweight division can say that. I knocked out the No. 12 contender. I beat Andrea Lee, and she was ranked No. 7 and I was a 4-1 underdog in that fight,” Murphy pointed out after her victory. “I’m 4-1 in this division and my last three wins are over ranked opponents, my only loss is to someone that’s is now a bantamweight and she was undefeated at flyweight.”

As for who Murphy wants next? She’s not shying away from the challenge of taking on a top tier opponent.

“I definitely deserve a spot in the top five. I think I deserve a spot on the women’s pound-for-pound list and I want to fight Cynthia Calvillo next. She’s the girl to beat right now. She’s a really, really excellent fighter,” Murphy said.

Calvillo has a streak of her own going right now, however. She has a 9-1-1 record and her only loss is against Carla Esparza. She’s beaten well-known names, most recently Jessica Eye but also others such as Joanne Calderwood and Pearl Gonzalez.

She’s not an easy opponent by any means but that didn’t stop Murphy from speaking positively about her odds.

“She walked right into the division and she took the No. 2 spot and I think that’s a great matchup for me. I think I can beat her and I want to show everybody that I can,” Murphy continued.

She may have to wait her turn, however. With Calvillo coming in and unsettling the division right away, there’s a decent chance the rest of the top contenders will be gunning for her soon enough.