UFC Vegas 46: Jennifer Maia vs Katlyn Chookagian Picks, Predictions, Odds

Katlyn Chookagian and Jennifer Maia fight Saturday in UFC Vegas 46 at the UFC Apex. Chookagian enters this fight with a 16-4 record and has won 81 percent of her fights by decision. Maia enters this fight with a 19-7-1 record and has won 53 percent of her fights by decision.

Chookagian has won five of her last seven fights and is coming off a May win over Viviane Araújo. Chookagian is averaging 4.57 significant strikes per minute, with an accuracy percentage of 35 percent. Chookagian is averaging 0.25 takedowns with an accuracy percentage of 15 percent. Chookagian is coming off a decision win at UFC 262 where she landed 135 total strikes and ate 129 total strikes. Chookagian has won 13 of her 15 career decisions and looks for three straight wins for the first time since 2017-18. Chookagian is most comfortable standing up, as she has some decent striking skills and a background in karate, and she does have two knockouts with her knees. However, Chookagian is more of a point’s fighter who doesn’t take much risk, doesn’t put much power behind her shots and is looking to do just enough to get a victory with the judges. Chookagian’s fights can be very tough to judge due to the lack of action a lot of the time, and 15 of her 20 career fights have ended in decision. A black belt in BJJ, Chookagian has never been finished by submission. This will be Chookagian’s third career fight in Nevada.

Maia has won seven of her last 10 fights and is coming off a July win over Jessica Eye. Maia is averaging 3.80 significant strikes per minute, with an accuracy percentage of 38 percent. Maia is averaging 0.29 takedowns with an accuracy percentage of 50 percent. Maia is coming off a decision win at UFC 264 where she landed 102 total strikes and ate 104 total strikes. Maia is now 4-3 under the UFC banner, and 10 of her last 11 fights have ended in decision. Maia comes from a boxing background that includes three pro fights, and she’s a black belt in BJJ and Muay Thai. Maia wants a fight on her feet where she can let her hands go, and she’s usually the aggressor in her bouts. However, Maia has shown great takedown ability as of late and has a knack for finishing bouts on the ground. Maia has five career submission wins, and three of those came in her first four pro fights. This will be Maia’s seventh career fight in Nevada.

Chookagian is going to be the favorite here because she lands more shots on the feet, and she has a massive size advantage. Chookagian is five inches taller than Maia and has a four-inch reach advantage. With that said, these are two points fighters for the most part and they both see tons of decisions. Instead of picking who wins this bout, I’ll take the easier way out and side with this fight going the distance.