UFC 205 results: Liz Carmouche tops Katlyn Chookagian by split call in historic New York City opener

NEW YORK – Onetime women’s bantamweight title challenger Liz Carmouche survived a brutal head kick from Katlyn Chookagian to earn a split decision.

Carmouche (11-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC) racked up points in the first two rounds, outworking Chookagian (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) on the mat before gutting out the final frame to pick up 29-28 scores from two of three judges.

The women’s bantamweight bout opened up the preliminary card of today’s UFC 205 event at Madison Square Garden in New York. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass ahead of additional prelims on FS1 and the main card on pay-per-view.

Carmouche looked as relaxed as ever on her feet, slowly stalking the longer and lankier Chookagian, who flicked a jab and used her kicks to score points. It looked as though it would be a standup affair, but just before the midpoint of the opening frame, Carmouche suddenly closed distance and quickly deposited her opponent on the mat.

Chookagian worked back to her feet, only to be slammed back down. On the mat, she curiously locked in a triangle from the bottom, allowing Carmouche all the time necessary to work ground and pound.

Nearly the same sequence played out in the middle frame, with only this time, Carmouche managed a hard slam to the mat and threatened a choke from top position. The onetime title challenger looked to have the fight under control, but when Chookagian escaped, she went almost completely defensive and took several unanswered strikes while backing up.

Sensing a shift in momentum, Chookagian came out aggressively in the third frame and did her best work of the fight, planting a high kick on Cartouche’s neck that produced a knockdown. Furiously working for a takedown, Carmouche managed to avoid going unconscious, but was soundly outstruck when Chookagian righted herself and settled into a her standup work.

“It feels amazing to pick up the first ever UFC victory in New York City,” Carmouche said. “I didn’t anticipate the takedowns coming as easily. I really wanted to stand and bang with her, but the takedowns came natural and I decided to exploit that. When Katlyn landed the kick in the third round, I was worried. I didn’t feel like the fight would be stopped, but I knew it might sway the judges. I am very happy to be back and want to get back to work soon. I’ll take anybody in the division.”

Carmouche now has won two straight in the UFC, while Chookagian suffers the first loss of her professional career after a decision over Lauren Murphy in her octagon debut.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 205 results include:

• Liz Carmouche def. Katlyn Chookagian via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

For complete coverage UFC 205, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan, Matt Erickson and Mike Bohn contributed to this report on site in New York.)