Katlyn Chookagian vs. Manon Fiorot: UFC 280 Odds, Prediction

The first fight on the UFC 280 main card from Abu Dhabi on Saturday will start at 2 p.m. ET, and it’s the lone women’s bout on the card as Katlyn Chookagian faces Manon Fiorot in flyweight action. Fiorot is a -220 favourite on the MMA odds with Chookagian +160.

Manon Fiorot -265
Katlyn Chookagian +190

Katlyn Chookagian UFC 280 Odds

Valentina Shevchenko is the women’s flyweight champion, and Chookagian is ranked as the No. 1 contender in the division. The 33-year-old American is 18-4 in a career that began in 2014. She is a former Cage Fury Fighting Championship bantamweight champion.

“Blonde Fighter” made her UFC debut in July 2016 with a unanimous decision victory over Lauren Murphy. Chookagian faced Shevchenko for the UFC flyweight title in February 2020 and lost by third-round TKO (elbows and punches). It was a one-sided bout.

Since then, Chookagian is 5-1 and enters on a four-fight winning streak after a split decision victory over Amanda Ribas in May. Chookagian’s nine victories in UFC women’s flyweight competition are tied with Shevchenko for most in divisional history and Chookagian’s four-fight UFC winning streak in flyweight competition is tied for the second-longest active streak in the division behind Shevchenko (nine).

The 5-foot-9 Chookagian has a reach of 68 inches and her fights average 14:04. She lands 4.56 significant strikes per minute with 35 per cent accuracy and absorbs 4.26 with 63 per cent defence. Her takedown average is 0.28 per 15 minutes with 15 per cent accuracy, and her takedown defence is 54 per cent.

A total of 15 of Chookagian’s wins are by decision, two by KO/TKO and one by decision. She is the only fighter in UFC history to earn their first 11 octagon victories by decision. Chookagian has landed 790 significant strikes in UFC women’s flyweight competition, the most in divisional history.

For Saturday, her favoured method of victory is by decision at +140, then by KO/TKO/DQ at +1000 and by submission at +2000.

Manon Fiorot UFC 280 Odds

The 32-year-old Fiorot, from France, is 9-1 and ranked sixth in the division. She was originally set to fight Chookagian in early September, but Chookagian withdrew and was replaced by former UFC women’s strawweight champion Jessica Andrade. Then Andrade withdrew and was replaced by … Chookagian. But after Fiorot injured her knee, the bout was shifted to UFC 280.

Fiorot’s lone loss was in her pro MMA debut, a split decision to Leah McCourt at Cage Warriors 94. “The Beast” has been in the UFC for four bouts, obviously all wins. She comes off a unanimous decision victory over former Invicta FC champion Jennifer Maia in March. Fiorot survived a big kick to the head, and her four-fight UFC winning streak in women’s flyweight competition is tied for the second-longest active streak with Chookagian in the division behind champion Valentina Shevchenko (nine).

The 5-foot-7 Fiorot has a reach of 65 inches and her fights average 11:47. She lands 6.60 significant strikers per minute at 45 per cent accuracy and absorbs 2.52 per minute with 70 per cent defence. Fiorot’s takedown average is 1.91 per 15 minutes with 50 per cent accuracy, and her takedown defence is 83 per cent.

Fiorot has six wins by KO/TKO and three by decision. Her two knockout victories in UFC women’s flyweight competition are tied for second-most in divisional history behind Shevchenko (four). For Saturday, Fiorot’s favoured method of victory is by decision at -165, followed by KO/TKO/DQ at +350 and by submission at +1500.

That the fight goes the full three rounds is -408 with no +244.