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Giga Chikadze was originally scheduled for a matchup at UFC 296, where he would have taken on Josh Emmett. Unfortunately, Chikadze was forced to withdraw from the bout after news of his injury made headlines in the MMA world.
With Giga Chikadze vs. Josh Emmett abandoned, the event lost its marquee featherweight bout. However, UFC 296 remains a strong card, with many fans still eager to witness what may very well be Colby Covington's final crack at championship gold in the promotion.
While fans understand that injuries are part of the game, this did nothing to stop Chikadze from sharing a clip on X/Twitter of the groin injury that forced him to withdraw from his UFC 296 clash with Josh Emmett. At first glance, the injury appears to stem from nothing.
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While sparring with one of his teammates, Chikadze attempts his famous rear-body kick. However, the moment he retracts his kicking leg right after the blow, he collapses in noticeable pain. The canceled bout would have been the Georgian star's first fight since his August 26 win over Alex Caceres.
Chikadze had previously lost a unanimous decision against featherweight standout Calvin Kattar back on January 15, 2022. Prior to that loss, Chikadze was campaigning for a UFC featherweight title fight and even accused the division's reigning titleholder, Alexander Volkanovski, of avoiding a matchup with him.
Giga Chikadze's previous win streak in the UFC
While his loss to Calvin Kattar has drawn significant fan interest for handing him his first-ever UFC loss, what of Giga Chikadze's long win streak in the promotion? He first signed with the UFC back in 2019, when he embarked on an impressive seven-fight win streak, with his last three wins all being TKO finishes.
Unfortunately, his purple patch of success was snapped by his loss to Calvin Kattar. However, the Georgian phenom bounced back with a win over Alex Caceres, who marks a serious fall from competitive grace given that his previous opponents were the likes of Edson Barboza and Calvin Kattar.
