Two of the top contenders in the flyweight division, this one became a catchweight affair after Maia missed weight.
The opening round was largely a textbook showing by the top-ranked Chookagian, who used her length and reach to get her shots off and avoid the majority of the return fire coming her way. While Maia looked to clinch at one point and find a home for the occasional punch, Chookagian did a good job of varying her offense, landing and slipping out before the Brazilian could connect with any real pop.
Chookagian took it up another notch in the second, adding even more variety in her offensive output while mixing in both physical and audible fakes and feints that kept Maia off balance. The Brazilian started to have a little more success over the final two minutes, connecting with a couple right hands over the top, but Chookagian was constantly circling away from the power shots and responding with combinations of her own whenever Maia would land.
Maia looked to make things interesting to start the third, closing the distance and intiating the clinch along the fence, but Chookagian was able to break free, exit into space and get back into her rhythm. Though Maia never stopped coming forward, she simply wasn’t able to pin down Chookagian and connect with anything that shifted the momentum in her favor or gave her a chance to finish, squandering a late takedown by hanging out in half-guard offering little offence.
After going the full 15 minutes, the judges were called upon to declare a winner, with all three officials seeing the fight in favor of Chookagian.
(By E. Spencer Kyte)
