Giga Chikadze (14-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) defeated Edson Barboza (22-10 MMA, 16-10 UFC in the main event of the UFC on ESPN 30 tonight in Las Vegas. The Georgian fighter TKOd, the rival at 1:44 of Round 3, dominantly sealing the win that might propel him all the way up to the top five guys in the featherweight division.
Chikadze shook Barboza with a step-in knee that hit the Brazilian in his midsection, and after that, unleashed a flurry of punches which forced the referee in the ring to stop the bout. Barboza wasn’t able to defend and was totally helpless following Chikadze’s burst.
The Georgian is now 7-0 in the UFC, having the third-longest active winning streak in the featherweight division. Even though he didn’t have many notable fighters opposite to himself in the past, it is believed that Chikadze might get a chance at the title in the near future.
He smells blood! 😱 @giga_chikadze #UFCVegas35 pic.twitter.com/zYVOF15e6K
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 29, 2021
Some of the analysts believe that it would be a risky move because Chikadze needs to gain more experience inside the octagon before challenging the fantastic Alexander Volkanovski.
His performance tonight was more than satisfying. The 35-year old veteran from Brazil didn’t have any chances of avoiding a defeat, being badly outpunched throughout the entire contest. Barboza came into this bout after two wins vs. Shane Burgos and Makwan
Amirkhani, and as a slight underdog at -105, compared to Chikadze’s -115.
There were some talks that Barboza might be a part of a title-eliminator in case of a win, but after Saturday’s performances, that won’t be the case in the near future. The Brazilian was slow, pale, and without any answer to Chikadze’s attacks.
This was supposed to be a clash of two of the most powerful hitters in the featherweight division, but in the end, it turned out to be one-sided domination of the 10th placed fighter in the division. He had twice as many total strikes, 70-33, and far more significant strikes, 60-33. Chikadze landed 31 head strikes, compared to Barboza’s only 15.
Barboza was once a prominent lightweight, who fought Khabib, Anthony Pettis, Paul Felder, Dan Hooker etc, dropped down in the featherweight, hoping that he might do better than in the crowded lightweight division. It turns out that the Brazilian won’t have much success in this company either.
Meanwhile, Chikadze is on the rise. He called out Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway for his next battle. The champion will soon have a title defense against Brian Ortega, while on the other side, Holloway is without an opponent at the moment. That might be the perfect opportunity for the Georgian to meet with the division’s elite and see where he’s at right now.
"Shoutout to one of the best fighters ever, Edson Barboza. You motivated me, brother, when I was a kickboxer."@giga_chikadze paid tribute to @EdsonBarbozaJR after his #UFCVegas35 win 🙌 pic.twitter.com/KNA7c2jvA1
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 29, 2021
In other night matches, Bryan Battle (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) won the “Ultimate Fighter” series, beating Gilbert Urbina (6-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in the finals, via submission at 2:15 of Round 2. This was a middleweight match and the finale of the “TUF 29” tournament.
Ricky Turcios (11-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) took the same honor, only in the bantamweight division, defeating Brady Heistand (5-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) via split decision in one of the best ever TUF matches. The two guys were relentless inside the cage, impressing all the spectators worldwide, as well as those who were present at the UFC Apex.
Nikola Velickovic is a sports journalist who loves to write and read on all sports. Nikola contributes both news updates and functions as a sports breaking news writer at WagerBop.
Email: nikola@wagerbop.com
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