Giga Chikadze is poised to make his UFC pay-per-view debut by the end of 2023.
Chikadze is scheduled to take on Josh Emmett in a featherweight contest at UFC 296 on December 16 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
'Ninja' made his return to the octagon in August at UFC Singapore, following a 19-month hiatus due to an injury. In this comeback fight, he delivered an impressive performance, securing a unanimous decision victory over Alex Caceres.
Giga Chikadze rebounded from a unanimous decision loss to Calvin Kattar in January 2022. Prior to that setback, the 35-year-old Georgian achieved victory in his first seven UFC contests, including notable finishes against Edson Barboza and Cub Swanson. His professional MMA record currently stands at 15-3.
Meanwhile, Josh Emmett is fresh off a Fight of the Night contest, which ended in a loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC Jacksonville in June. This defeat followed a previous setback in an interim featherweight title bout against Yair Rodriguez back at UFC 284 in February.
However, prior to these challenges, the 38-year-old American had enjoyed a streak of five consecutive victories, which included impressive finishes of Michael Johnson and Mirsad Bektić. Notably, Emmett also earned post-fight performance bonuses in his wins against Shane Burgos and Calvin Kattar. He currently holds a professional MMA record of 18-4.
Fans were filled with anticipation and responded with a variety of reactions upon learning about the inclusion of the Giga Chikadze vs. Josh Emmett fight in the UFC 296 lineup.
One fan wrote:
"Interesting fight. Real crossroads for both men"
Another wrote:
"Dear lord this card is becoming orgasmic"
Check out some more reactions below:
"Respect to Emmett for taking some hard a** fights man."
"Damn bro save some bangers for next year this is crazy ðŸ˜"
"damn that's a serious banger. rooting for Emmett cuz he's the 'dog."
"Battle of the swim caps 💪"
"Emmett just got picked apart by Yair’s leg and body kicks. Interesting…"
"Bald Championship Belt of the World is on the line per @danawhite"
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