Valentina Shevchenko booked for title defense opposite Katlyn Chookagian

UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko is set to defend her title against top contender Katlyn Chookagian, according to a new report from Nolan King of MMA Junkie.

The fight will reportedly occur at a February 8 pay-per-view card — most likely UFC 247 —in Houston, Texas.

This will mark Chookagian’s first shot at UFC gold. “Blonde Fighter” earned that opportunity on the UFC 244 undercard, when she out-struck Jennifer Maia to win a decision. She was already ranked No. 1 in the strawweight division before the Maia fight, and reaffirmed herself a the next woman in line for a title shot with her win. In her next most recent fight, she defeated Joanna Calderwood by decision. She’ll enter her title fight with Shevchenko, with a strong 13-2 overall record.

Shevchenko, on the other hand, is 18-3 overall. She’s on a four-fight win-streak, having won all of her fights in the new UFC flyweight division.

She won the vacant title with a December, 2018 decision victory over Joanna Jedrzejczyk. She’s defended it twice, with a violent, head-kick knockout of Jessica Eye, and more recently, a tepid decision defeat of her former foil Liz Carmouche.

While this Shevchenko vs. Chookagian fight will wind up near the top of the bill for this Houston card, it’s expected that the card will be topped by a light heavyweight title fight between champion Jon Jones and undefeated challenger Dominick Reyes.

• Champ Valentina Shevchenko vs. Katlyn Chookagian – flyweight title fight
• Mirsad Bektic vs. Dan Ige
• Ovince Saint Preux vs. Ryan Spann
• Andrea Lee vs. Lauren Murphy
• Ilir Latifi vs. Derrick Lewis
• Juan Adams vs. Justin Tafa

Do you think Valentina Shevchenko will successfully defend her title against Katlyn Chookagian, or will this fight mark the end of her title reign?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 11/20/2019.