Giga Chikadze
Ninja
Georgia
Drops decision after weight miss
Chikadze lost to David Onama via unanimous decision (28-29, 28-29, 28-29) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Kansas City.
ANALYSIS
It was a reasonable performance from Giga given he'll be 37 years old in late-August. Of course, some of that good will is negated by the fact he missed weight by a pound Friday morning. He forfeited 20 percent of his purse to Onama in order for the fight to proceed. Chikadze was the more effective striker and would have won if he could have remained upright, but Onama landed one takedown in each round and was able to grind his way to the win late. Giga has been banged up and ineffective in recent years, going 1-3 in his last four fights and sporting just a single win dating back to August 2021. The UFC needs to be careful regarding the level of competition it matches him up against moving forward.
It was a reasonable performance from Giga given he'll be 37 years old in late-August. Of course, some of that good will is negated by the fact he missed weight by a pound Friday morning. He forfeited 20 percent of his purse to Onama in order for the fight to proceed. Chikadze was the more effective striker and would have won if he could have remained upright, but Onama landed one takedown in each round and was able to grind his way to the win late. Giga has been banged up and ineffective in recent years, going 1-3 in his last four fights and sporting just a single win dating back to August 2021. The UFC needs to be careful regarding the level of competition it matches him up against moving forward.
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Misses weight, fight goes on
Chikadze has been fined for missing weight, but his scheduled bout with David Onama at UFC Kansas City on April 26 is still on, per Mike Heck of MMAFighting.com.
ANALYSIS
Chikadze has been fined 20 percent of his purse, but the bout is still on. He checked in at 147 pounds, missing the featherweight limit by one pound. He'll still be looking to bounce back from his most recent fight, a loss at the hands of Arnold Allen.
Chikadze has been fined 20 percent of his purse, but the bout is still on. He checked in at 147 pounds, missing the featherweight limit by one pound. He'll still be looking to bounce back from his most recent fight, a loss at the hands of Arnold Allen.
Onama up next
Chikadze will fight David Onama at UFC Kansas City on April 26, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
The 36-year-old's lone fight of 2024 resulted in a loss to Arnold Allen, giving Chikadze two losses in his last three bouts. His next opponent, on the other hand, has built up significant momentum by winning three consecutive fights.
The 36-year-old's lone fight of 2024 resulted in a loss to Arnold Allen, giving Chikadze two losses in his last three bouts. His next opponent, on the other hand, has built up significant momentum by winning three consecutive fights.
Fades following fast start
Chikadze lost to Arnold Allen via unanimous decision (28-29, 28-29, 28-29) at UFC 304 on Saturday in Manchester, England.
ANALYSIS
Allen is a quality opponent, and there's no shame in losing to him, especially as a +210 underdog, but how this fight played out has to be extremely demoralizing for Chikadze. In what was a 15-minute kickboxing match, Giga did fine for about a round before fading in a major way. His output dipped considerably, and he seemed gassed as the fight went on. Chikadze will be 36 years of age in less than a month and has been banged up of late, fighting just once a year dating back to 2022. Giga won each of his first seven UFC bouts, but is just 1-2 in his last three.
Allen is a quality opponent, and there's no shame in losing to him, especially as a +210 underdog, but how this fight played out has to be extremely demoralizing for Chikadze. In what was a 15-minute kickboxing match, Giga did fine for about a round before fading in a major way. His output dipped considerably, and he seemed gassed as the fight went on. Chikadze will be 36 years of age in less than a month and has been banged up of late, fighting just once a year dating back to 2022. Giga won each of his first seven UFC bouts, but is just 1-2 in his last three.
Taking on Allen in July
Chikadze will face Arnold Allen in a featherweight bout at UFC 304 in Manchester, England on July 27, per Nolan King of USA Today.
ANALYSIS
Chikadze will head into the fight coming off a decision victory over Alex Caceres in August, hoping to keep that positive momentum going, though it remains to be seen whether "Ninja" is at 100 percent following a groin tear in December. The six-foot Georgian will also be faced with the tough task of fighting Allen in his home country of England, though a notable size and reach advantage will help Chikadze against the smaller Englishman.
Chikadze will head into the fight coming off a decision victory over Alex Caceres in August, hoping to keep that positive momentum going, though it remains to be seen whether "Ninja" is at 100 percent following a groin tear in December. The six-foot Georgian will also be faced with the tough task of fighting Allen in his home country of England, though a notable size and reach advantage will help Chikadze against the smaller Englishman.
Discloses groin injury
Chikadze announced Monday via social media that a left groin tear led to his withdrawal from his scheduled UFC 296 fight against Josh Emmett on Dec. 16 in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Chikadze was forced to withdraw from the event less than two weeks before the scheduled fight, leaving Emmett searching for a new opponent. It's a tough break for Chikadze, who was set to enter as approximately a (-190) betting favorite against an opponent a few spots higher in the promotion's featherweight rankings.
Chikadze was forced to withdraw from the event less than two weeks before the scheduled fight, leaving Emmett searching for a new opponent. It's a tough break for Chikadze, who was set to enter as approximately a (-190) betting favorite against an opponent a few spots higher in the promotion's featherweight rankings.