It all turned out for the better for Cynthia Calvillo.
The UFC women’s flyweight contender missed out on a chance to fight Lauren Murphy last month, but now the American Kickboxing Academy-based fighter thinks she has a better opportunity in front of her.
Calvillo (9-1-1 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) was supposed to take on Murphy at UFC 254 on Oct. 24, but a positive COVID-19 test removed her from the fight. Murphy went on to fight newcomer and short-notice replacement Liliya Shakirova, who she beat by submission, and Calvillo was booked to fight Katlyn Chookagian (14-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) on Saturday at UFC 255 in Las Vegas once she was COVID-free.
Calvillo likes the new matchup – not from a technical standpoint, but from divisional rankings.
“I defeated the No. 1 contender, Jessica Eye. Now I’m going to beat No. 2 Katlyn Chookagian,” Calvillo said in Spanish on Monday’s episode of Hablemos MMA. “She’s a higher rank than Lauren Murphy, so for me that’s a better fight.
“We did ask Lauren if she wanted to fight this same date and she said no, so we just have to continue moving forward and we got this fight, which is better.”
Murphy currently sits at No. 5 behind Calvillo in the UFC’s official women’s 125-pound rankings.
The 33-year-old fighter might be getting a higher-ranked opponent now, but the matchup itself might not necessarily be tougher. Calvillo, who hopes to get a title shot with a win at UFC 255, thinks all fighters in the top five are game and they all are dangerous.
“Each fight has its own issues, which are based around the strength of my opponents,” Calvillo said. “Katlyn is tall and long and Lauren is very strong, but she doesn’t have as much reach as Katlyn Chookagian.
“The truth is that the plan changes a bit. But overall, we do the same thing and that’s wrestle, take her down, and once the fight goes there, it won’t matter if it’s Lauren or Katlyn – only if it’s on the feet, that’s where we adjust a bit. But at this level, all fighters have to be good to be in the top five.”