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This weekend sees Giga Chikadze face off with Calvin Kattar in the second headline bout of his UFC career. The Georgian ‘Ninja’ will be hoping for an impressive performance.
With Max Holloway now out of his upcoming UFC featherweight title bout against champion Alexander Volkanovski, could Giga Chikadze claim the title shot as his own with a win this weekend?
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It’s a massive question, as the UFC’s featherweight division is highly loaded with talent right now. However, Chikadze would definitely have an argument for being first in line with a win this weekend.
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With that considered, here are five reasons why Chikadze should receive a UFC featherweight title shot if he can beat Calvin Kattar this weekend.
#5. An impressive win this weekend would move Giga Chikadze to the forefront of the minds of UFC fans
While the first UFC event of 2022 is set to go down this weekend after nearly a month-long gap, as per usual with the promotion, fans will be treated to practically a different card each week following this one.
UFC 272, then, might sound like it should be ages away. In fact, the event is set to go down on March 5, which is actually only seven weeks after this weekend’s event.
That means that when selecting a replacement for Max Holloway in the show’s main event against Alexander Volkanovski, the UFC needs to pick a fighter who will excite fans who are probably hugely disappointed about the loss of ‘Blessed’.
That’s why Giga Chikadze’s fight this weekend with Calvin Kattar is such a huge opportunity for him. ‘Ninja’ has one of the most exciting styles in the featherweight division.
The last time the native of Georgia set foot inside the octagon, he disposed of Edson Barboza in devastating fashion.
That turned him into a man to watch in the eyes of UFC fans. Of course, with so many fights to watch these days, it’s easy to forget one impressive fighter when another pulls off something special the next week.
However, if Chikadze can beat Kattar in impressive fashion this weekend, the clamor for him to fill the gap vacated by Holloway would immediately begin. The UFC would be wise to capitalize on that by giving him the title shot right away. If anything, the whole situation could turn ‘Ninja’ into a genuine superstar.
#4. A win over Calvin Kattar would mean a great deal in the overall picture of the division
Right now, Giga Chikadze is ranked as the No.8 featherweight fighter in the world, behind the likes of Arnold Allen (No.7), Josh Emmett (No.6) and his opponent this weekend Calvin Kattar. Naturally, it’d be unusual for the UFC to award the No.8-ranked fighter in any division with a title shot.
However, if Chikadze can defeat ‘The Boston Finisher’ this weekend, then he’d almost certainly be elevated up the rankings. He'd most likely take Kattar’s spot at No.5. Sure, that still puts him behind four different fighters, but that wouldn’t matter.
The fact is that a win over Kattar would probably mean more than a win over most fighters in the division right now. Since arriving in the UFC in 2018, only three men have defeated him, Renato Moicano, Zabit Magomedsharipov and Max Holloway.
Holloway was the only one of the three to truly dominate Kattar. Even then, the former champion couldn’t put ‘The Boston Finisher’ away. Essentially, he’s arguably the toughest man in the division and he’s also clearly one of the best there too.
Given that Holloway couldn’t do it over five rounds, nobody really expects Giga Chikadze to destroy Kattar in the same way that he did to Edson Barboza and Cub Swanson. However, if he can beat him as impressively as ‘Blessed’ did, it’d probably be impossible not to give him the title shot at UFC 272.
#3. Giga Chikadze probably has the best resume in the division in recent years
While there are currently seven fighters ranked above Giga Chikadze in the UFC featherweight division, assuming he defeats Calvin Kattar, it’s arguable that 'Ninja’ would have the best resume of all the contenders there.
Max Holloway is obviously out of action, while Brian Ortega just lost to Alexander Volkanovski and isn’t ready for another title shot right now. Yair Rodriguez was defeated by Holloway last year and while Chan Sung Jung is coming off a win, it was his first since 2019.
That leaves Arnold Allen and Josh Emmett. While both men are on impressive win streaks, it’s probably fair to argue that neither man has beaten a pair of opponents as tough as Cub Swanson and Edson Barboza as Giga Chikadze has done.
Essentially, when it comes to both his number of wins (seven in a row) and the quality of them, Giga Chikadze is the most qualified to face off against Volkanovski in Holloway’s stead.
Of course, that would all change if he were to lose to Kattar, but the stylistic match between the two does seem to favor the Georgian. If he can get his hand raised, then, he ought to move into Holloway’s spot for UFC 272.
#2. Giving the shot to Giga Chikadze would send a strong message to the rest of the UFC about sporting merit
With Max Holloway out of UFC 272’s main event against Alexander Volkanovski, it’d be very easy for the UFC to simply turn to a bigger name than Giga Chikadze to fill the gap.
We’ve already seen former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo throw his name into the hat, for instance. That's despite the fact he announced his retirement in 2020. Yair Rodriguez has also decided to call out Volkanovski, too.
However, handing a title shot to either man would be a major mistake on the behalf of the UFC. Sure, both men have bigger name value than Giga Chikadze. However, what would it say about the UFC’s sporting merit if they handed a title shot to a retired fighter who’s never fought at 145 pounds before, or to a fighter who is coming off a major loss, as Rodriguez is?
The UFC has shown they’re willing to do such things in the past, but sometimes it’d be much better for them to simply hand the bigger opportunities to more deserving fighters.
If he manages to beat Calvin Kattar this weekend, then Chikadze would be on an eight-fight win streak in the octagon with three wins over highly-ranked opponents. That should be enough for a title shot by anyone’s standards, let alone for a late-notice one in the stead of an injured fighter.
#1. Giga Chikadze would provide an excellent and exciting opponent for Alexander Volkanovski
Perhaps the biggest reason that the UFC should hand Giga Chikadze a shot at Alexander Volkanovski should he defeat Calvin Kattar is the fact that he’s arguably the most exciting up-and-comer in the division to watch right now.
‘Ninja’ has an aggressive and wild striking style. He’s also willing to grapple with his foes on the mat, too. More to the point, he’s proven himself to be a finisher, even as the standard of his opposition has improved.
Chikadze went to decisions with lower-level fighters during his early days in the UFC, but in his last two fights, the Georgian produced the best performances of his career to stop both Swanson and Barboza.
Volkanovski would naturally be on an entirely different level in terms of toughness. Nobody in the UFC has been able to defeat the Australian, with ‘The Great’ beating the likes of Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, Brian Ortega and Max Holloway on two occasions.
The Australian is skilled in all areas. He’s tricky to take down, hits like a truck and is also technical on the feet. He has also shown remarkable submission defense.
However, there would be a few question marks over how he’d handle the aggressive nature and fleet-footed kickboxing style of Chikadze, particularly the Georgian’s dangerous kicks.
Essentially, it’d be an easy fight for the UFC to market as a potential classic, as the highlight reel of ‘Ninja’ would easily sell him as a title challenger. Assuming he beats Calvin Kattar, there’s no reason the promotion shouldn’t go for it.
