Cynthia Calvillo could be returning to the Octagon in the near future…
The UFC is close to finalizing a flyweight fight between the 33-year-old Latina mixed martial artist and Katlyn Chookagian for UFC 255 later this month, according to ESPN sources.
Contracts haven’t been signed yet, but the bout will take place on November 21 in Las Vegas once it’s official.
It’s good timing for the 125-pound contender fight, as the UFC 255 pay-per-view event features flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko defending her title against Jennifer Maia in the co-main event.
Calvillo (9-1-1) catapulted herself into flyweight title contention with a five-round decision over former title challenger Jessica Eye in June. That was Calvillo’s flyweight debut in the UFC. She accumulated a 5-1-1 record as a strawweight prior to the move up in weight in June.
Calvillo was scheduled to face Lauren Murphy last month, but was forced to withdraw due to a positive COVID-19 test.
Chookagian (14-4) is coming off a knockout loss to former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade on October 17 in Abu Dhabi. Despite the loss, Chookagian is still the No. 2-ranked flyweight in the world per the UFC rankings, behind No. 1-ranked Andrade.
The 31-year-old Chookagian fought Shevchenko for the title in February, and came up short via third-round TKO. The fight against Calvillo will mark her fourth appearance in 2020.