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Very few UFC fans would’ve classed UFC Fight Night: Edson Barboza vs. Giga Chikadze as one of their most anticipated cards of 2021. However, it turned out to be hugely entertaining.
Basically, every fight on offer at this UFC Fight Night event delivered watchable action, and as usual, some of the fighters picked up huge victories to move them forward.
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So which fighters came up trumps thanks to their victories last night, and will those victories move them into UFC title contention? For some, it’s definitely possible.
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Here are the five biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Edson Barboza vs. Giga Chikadze.
#5. Abdul Razak Alhassan – defeated Alessio Di Chirico on the UFC Fight Night prelims
Abdul Razak Alhassan’s fight with Alessio di Chirico was thrown together on horribly late notice when both men’s original opponents dropped out. And on paper at least, it looked like a tricky bout for ‘Judo Thunder’.
Not only had most of his UFC success come at 170 pounds, but he was faced with a fighter coming off the best showing of his UFC career, as Di Chirico knocked out Joaquin Buckley in January.
More to the point, Alhassan had not won a fight in the octagon since his 2018 victory over Niko Price. And with three losses in a row under his belt, a fourth here could’ve signaled the end of his UFC tenure.
However, Alhassan pulled out one of the most explosive knockouts of 2021 by destroying Di Chirico with a head kick in just 17 seconds. It was a ridiculous finish that summed up the best of Alhassan, who is essentially a ball of power and fast twitch muscles.
Sure, there’s an argument to suggest that Di Chirico – who ducked directly into the kick – was almost the architect of his own downfall, but it takes a special fighter to be able to throw a strike like Alhassan did.
Will the win put him back on track in the UFC? Who knows. At the end of the day, ‘Judo Thunder’ has always been a glass cannon of sorts. However, this was a tremendous victory and it likely saved his UFC career, making him one of last night’s biggest winners.
#4. Gerald Meerschaert – defeated Makhmud Muradov on the UFC Fight Night main card
While Gerald Meerschaert has far too many losses on his record to ever be considered a UFC title contender, he’ll likely always have a spot on the UFC roster due to his finishing ability.
Coming into last night’s event, ‘GM3’ had seven UFC victories to his name, and not one of those fights had ever gone the distance. However, against spectacular striker Makhmud Muradov, Meerschaert looked outgunned.
He was hurt badly by strikes in the first round, and a cynic would probably suggest that an apparently errant low blow was intentional – the only method he had of slowing Muradov down.
But ‘GM3’ is clearly a very tough fighter, and he weathered the early storm before roaring back in the second round, hurting Muradov with strikes of his own before submitting him with a textbook rear naked choke.
The win not only keeps Meerschaert afloat in the UFC, but it also marks his second win in a row following his submission of Bartosz Fabinski back in April, and more to the point, it also made him $50k richer.
#3. Bryan Battle and Ricky Turcios – won TUF 29 finals
It’s probably safe to say that winning a season of TUF in 2021 means a hell of a lot less than it did in 2005 or even 2010. In that sense, it’s unlikely that Bryan Battle and Ricky Turcios will ever repeat the feats of former TUF winners like Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans.
However, it’s still safe to call both men among the biggest winners from last night’s event. Neither man picked up an easy victory, as both had to fight through plenty of adversity on their way to their eventual triumphs.
Turcios’ clash with Brady Hiestand was probably the best fight on offer overall, as the two men flung heavy leather at one another from the word go. Hiestand actually grounded Turcios on a number of occasions, but for once, the judges awarded Turcios’ superior activity and heavier shots over the takedowns.
Battle, meanwhile, was badly hurt by late replacement Gilbert Urbina in the first round. On a different night, he’d have succumbed to a TKO loss. But despite bleeding heavily, he fought back in the second round to eventually choke Urbina out.
Quite how far both men can go in stacked UFC divisions – bantamweight and middleweight – is a question mark, but judging on last night, it’ll be fun to see them attempt to progress. That level of interest alone means they should be considered big winners from last night's UFC Fight Night.
#2. Daniel Rodriguez – defeated Kevin Lee on the UFC Fight Night main card
Despite having an impressive UFC record of 5-1, Daniel Rodriguez came into last night’s fight with Kevin Lee as a sizeable underdog in the eyes of most fans.
Sure, Lee hadn’t fought since March 2020, while Rodriguez had been in the octagon on five occasions since then, but ‘The Motown Phenom’ was still by far the more proven fighter.
However, ‘D-Rod’ showed excellent skills in all areas throughout the fight. He landed the heavier strikes during the exchanges on the feet, most notably stunning him in the second round. And he was also able to stop the majority of Lee’s takedowns – something few of his opponents have really done in the past.
Had Rodriguez been able to finish Lee, then he’d probably be getting much more coverage than he is right now, but in all honesty, that doesn’t really matter. ‘D-Rod’ is now 6-1 in the UFC and is clearly a handful for any welterweight on the roster.
And in one of the UFC’s most packed divisions, that means there are plenty of intriguing fights for him to take down the line. Fighters like Muslim Salikhov, Sean Brady, and Li Jingliang, for instance, are all ranked right now – and Rodriguez would probably fancy his chances against them.
Even if he isn’t able to climb to that level, last night’s win should at least give him the opportunity – making him one of this weekend’s big winners.
#1. Giga Chikadze – defeated Edson Barboza in the UFC Fight Night main event
The biggest winner from last night’s UFC Fight Night was definitely Giga Chikadze. Handed a main event opportunity for the first time against a very tricky opponent in Edson Barboza, the Georgia native not only came through, but he did it in style.
After two rounds that were tight to call, ‘Ninja’ simply took over, forcing Barboza to wilt with absolutely ruthless and relentless striking pressure. And when a D’Arce choke attempt failed to end the fight, Chikadze didn’t slow down, instead continuing to pour on the punishment until Barboza could take no more.
When you consider that Barboza had only ever been knocked out twice in the UFC previously – most notably by Justin Gaethje – then you simply can’t play down Chikadze’s achievement. He’s almost certainly a title contender at 145 pounds.
So who is next for him? In his post-fight interview, Chikadze called out Max Holloway. That fight isn’t likely to happen if we’re frank, as Holloway is probably next in line for the winner of the upcoming UFC featherweight title bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega.
However, fights involving Chikadze and Chan Sung Jung, Zabit Magomedsharipov or Calvin Kattar – all of whom are ranked above the Georgian – sound like absolute fireworks. Either way, Chikadze is now a bonafide UFC star – making him last night’s biggest winner.
