5 potential opponents for Giga Chikadze after his latest setback

Giga Chikadze's record now stands at 14-3

Giga Chikadze was being touted for a title shot heading into his fight against Calvin Kattar. However, after seeing his nine-fight win streak snapped, he needs to bounce back and will likely have to fight a lower-ranked opponent to do so.

Chikadze fought Kattar on Saturday in a five-round main event that ended up going the distance. While the 33-year-old wasn't finished, he took plenty of damage and didn't win a single round in the unanimous decision loss.

#UFCVegas46 Official Scorecard: @CalvinKattar vs Giga Chikadze

View All Judges’ Scorecards ➡️: ufc.com/news/official-… https://t.co/5wCuIZOUl3

With that being said, Chikadze doesn't need too much of a drop in level of competition. He put together a seven-fight win streak after signing for the UFC and finished some big names in Edson Barboza and Cub Swanson during that time.

Chikadze is clearly deserving of being a top contender at featherweight but is now in an interesting spot, coming off a rather one-sided loss. He could look to take a safer fight just to get a win under his belt, or go after a surging contender in an attempt to hijack the momentum of another fighter.

Regardless of which route he ends up choosing to pursue, there are plenty of appealing matchups for the Georgian fighter to take. Here are five potential opponents for Giga Chikadze after his latest setback:

#5. Giga Chikadze vs. Bryce Mitchell

Bryce Mitchell is scheduled to face Edson Barboza at UFC 272 on March 5th. Chikadze's last win was a TKO finish of Barboza, meaning that should 'Thug Nasty' win, the Georgian could provide an appropriate step up in competition.

145 is the best division. Always fireworks!!

The one potential issue with this bout is that Mitchell could be due for an even bigger fight if he wins next time out. Should 'Thug Nasty' win, he would have a perfect 15-0 record and likely be a win or two away from a title shot.

In that case, a fight against Chikadze may not help Mitchell's title aspirations enough. Perhaps if Mitchell picks up an unconvincing or controversial win that slows his momentum a little, we could see the two square off in what would be a fascinating clash of styles.