5 biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Calvin Kattar vs. Giga Chikadze

#2. Brandon Royval – defeated Rogerio Bontorin in a UFC flyweight bout

Brandon Royval's aggressive grappling led him to a win over Rogerio Bontorin

It seems bizarre to suggest that a UFC fighter who snapped a two-fight losing streak with his win last night may now be in title contention. However, that’s definitely the case with Brandon Royval, who picked up a decision over Rogerio Bontorin.

‘Raw Dawg’ debuted in the octagon in 2020 with two straight wins. A pair of losses to Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja derailed him last year, leaving him at a crossroads of sorts.

However, those two fighters are probably two of the best three flyweights in the world right now – Moreno of course holds the flyweight title – so fans probably shouldn’t have been surprised to see Royval look excellent in his win last night.

It wasn’t a flawless performance by any means, as Bontorin took him down largely at will, leaving Royval to fight off his back for the most part.

However, the constant pressure and submission attempts from ‘Raw Dawg’ were more than enough to earn him a win. This was particularly the case as Bontorin actually appeared to have tapped out to an armbar in the third round.

Whether or not Royval can work his way into UFC title contention is still up for debate, as he’ll probably need at least one more big win yet. Regardless, this was definitely an excellent way for him to get his career back on track.

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#1. Calvin Kattar – defeated Giga Chikadze in a UFC featherweight bout

Calvin Kattar proved himself as one of the best featherweights in the world with his win over Giga Chikadze

Last night’s biggest winner was definitely Calvin Kattar. He outpointed Giga Chikadze in what will probably go down as an early contender for 2022’s ‘Fight of the Year’.

Despite having an arguably superior record to his opponent, many fans seemed to be writing off ‘The Boston Finisher’. This was perhaps because he hadn’t fought in the octagon since his loss this time last year to former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway.

However, Kattar clearly hadn’t missed a beat when it came down to fight time. He weathered an early storm from Chikadze, and ate up some heavy strikes from ‘The Ninja’ throughout the fight. Most importantly, he clearly got the better of the Georgian in all areas.

The first round saw Kattar take Chikadze down to wear him out somewhat. The following four rounds then saw him work the Georgian over with some stiff jabs, and most notably some brutal step-in elbow strikes.

Those shots added up to cause some serious damage to Chikadze. In the end, he was left with a right eye so swollen that he was unable to open it. Quite how long it’ll take him to recover from such a beatdown is anyone’s guess.

For Kattar, though, the only way is now up. ‘The Boston Finisher’ has to be seen as one of the premier featherweights in the UFC. This win should set him up for a big fight against someone like Yair Rodriguez or Brian Ortega.

More to the point, he’s now proven himself to be a reliable and exciting headline act for the UFC. This should guarantee him more opportunities and probably money later down the line. For Kattar, this win was essentially priceless.