MMA News

Tag: Giga Chikadze

  • Calvin Kattar Explains Why He Hasn’t Tried To Replace Holloway At UFC 272

    Calvin Kattar was one of the few featherweights who did not put his name in the hat to replace Max Holloway to fight Alexander Volkanovski for the belt.

    Volkanovski was supposed to defend his belt in a trilogy match against Holloway at UFC 272 in March. Unfortunately, the Hawaiian was forced out of the bout. After that, several featherweights like Giga Chikadze, Korean Zombie, Josh Emmett, and Yair Rodríguez all called for the fight.

    For Kattar, however, he didn’t see a reason to call for the fight, especially when he has a scrap coming up.

    “Yeah, man, talk is cheap,” Kattar said on BetQL Tapped Out. “I’m trying to go out next week and earn it…Him throwing his name in the hat, it’d be a shame if I went out and ruined his plans, you know?”

    Calvin Kattar & Max Holloway
    Calvin Kattar & Max Holloway (Image Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

    Kattar is set to headline UFC Vegas 46 this Saturday against Giga Chikadze in a battle of top-10 featherweights. The winner could very well be in title contention, and that is all Kattar is focused on, not trying to call out the champ for a bout in March.

    “All I know is a W gets me that much closer,” Kattar said. “You only get closer off wins. And some of these guys calling for the title shot off losses, it doesn’t really make sense to me. Yeah, it happens every now and then, but go out and win some shit and then talk.”

    Calvin Kattar is currently ranked fifth at featherweight and is coming off a beatdown loss to Max Holloway in January last year. The loss dropped him to 22-5 as a pro and he’s 6-3 in the UFC with wins over Shane Burgos, Dan Ige, Jeremy Stephens, Andre Fili, and Ricardo Lamas among others.

    Do you think Calvin Kattar will beat Giga Chikadze in the main event of UFC Vegas 46?

  • Chikadze Shares How White Boosted His Motivation Ahead Of Kattar Fight

    Giga Chikadze is using some words from the boss as motivation.

    This Saturday night, Giga Chikadze will be facing arguably the toughest test yet of his UFC career when he fights Calvin Kattar in the main event of UFC Vegas 46. Coming into this match-up, Chikadze feels he is close to a title shot and, with a win, will surely be campaigning for one. And he will be walking into the Octagon with some motivation he received from UFC President Dana White.

    “I even had a quick chat with Dana since I was at the P.I.,” Chikadze told MMA Junkie. “We had some interactions there. He said, ‘You’re right there. Handle your business and then we’ll talk after.’ (I have) even more motivation from that, I guess.”

    Chikadze is coming into this bout with Kattar having won every fight he has had in the UFC. He made his promotional debut in Sept. 2019 and has been working his way up to the top. His last three wins were all TKO victories, and each earned him a performance bonus. He is now ranked eighth in the division. And with a victory over Kattar this Saturday, he should find himself ranked in the top five.

    “I just want to warn everybody that I have a fight this weekend,” Chikadze said. “I’ll be knocking out people that no one would believe I was going to knock them out – in a minute, in a striking way, in this, in that. I just want them to open their eyes and watch this weekend very well, and after this make a decision. I’m just concentrating to perform the best I’ve ever been.”

    Kattar is not an easy opponent for anyone. He is coming off a loss against former champion Max Holloway in a Fight of the Night performance. Prior to that, he had two straight wins over top opponents and is currently sitting in the number five spot in the rankings. This bout between Kattar and Chikadze could hold title implications now that Holloway is out of his title shot against Alexader Volkanovski.

    Do you think Giga Chikadze has what it takes to beat Calvin Kattar and fight for a title?

  • Giga Chikadze Blasts ‘Chump’ Alexander Volkanovski In Twitter Rampage

    Giga Chikadze isn’t happy with Alexander Volkanovski after the featherweight champion alluded to ‘The Korean Zombie’ getting the next title shot.

    Volkanovski was originally supposed to fight Max Holloway in their trilogy at UFC 272 before Holloway reaggravated an injury in recent days. Chikadze is slated to face Calvin Kattar in a UFC Fight Night main event on Jan. 15 and could potentially get a title shot if he wins.

    After Holloway pulled out, the UFC and Volkanovski immediately began looking for potential replacements. Chan Sung Jung, otherwise known as ‘The Korean Zombie’, is reportedly at the top of the list, along with possibly Yair Rodriguez.

    This appeared to irk Chikadze, who is coming off a dominant win over Edson Barboza. He aired his frustration in a recent Twitter rant.

    Giga Chikadze Roasted Alexander Volkanovski On Twitter

    Many believe that it’s only a matter of time until Chikadze gets a featherweight title shot, but he may be impatient.

    Volkanovski most recently defeated Brian Ortega at UFC 266 via unanimous decision, in one of the most gritty performances of 2021. Before that, he had earned back-to-back wins over Holloway inside the Octagon.

    It’s still unknown who will get the short-notice bout at UFC 272, but Chikadze appears ready and willing to step up if he can get past Kattar.

    How close is Giga Chikadze to a title shot?