Breaking: Featherweight prospect Giga Chikadze announces return to octagon after 18-month lay-off due to injuries - "Got my fight booked!"
UFC featherweight fighter Giga Chikadze is set to make his return to the octagon after not fighting for 18 months.
Chikadze joyously announced the news on his Twitter and implored fans to pray that his fight does not get canceled this time around. 'Ninja' did not reveal who his opponent would be nor did he delve into any further details.
He wrote:
"Happy to announce that #GIGASHOW is coming back! After one and half year missing opponents and falling the fights, I got my fight booked! Please pray for my fight, so it does not get canceled! [red heart emoji] [folded hands emoji]"
Check out his tweet below:
🏼Happy to announce that #GIGASHOW is coming back!
After one and half year missing opponents and falling the fights, I got my fight booked!
Please pray for my fight, so it does not get canceled! ♥️🙏🏼
Chikadze last fought in January 2022 against Calvin Kattar at UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Chikadze. It was his second successive main event fight but he fell to an excellent performance from Kattar and lost a thrilling fight via unanimous decision. Chikadze valiantly held on in the final seconds of the fight and avoided a knockout loss. The pair won the Fight of the Night bonus for their performance.
However, soon after the fight, Giga Chikadze was sidelined with injury for four months and underwent five surgeries. After his recovery, he could not fight for various reasons including injuries to opponents and himself.
Giga Chikadze explains frustration while awaiting next fight
Giga Chikadze has been frustrated due to his own inactivity and is itching to get back inside the UFC octagon. In a recent interview with MMA Junkie Radio, he elaborated on his time away from the octagon and listed names of the fighters he could have potentially fought if not for an injury.
Chikadze mentioned that he has been in a state of readiness for well over a year. He said:
“It’s been year-and-a-half I’ve been trying to get a fight. It’s a little bit frustrating because I’ve been training for a year and two months for a fight to prepare. It’s like a camp, a 14-month camp I’ve been preparing. In that time, usually people get a lot of injuries. I’m still good. I’m just waiting to come back. Fighters also declining and fighters they offered me, they got injured. Sodiq got injured. Also, ‘Zombie’ got injured, then they scheduled with other guy. Then Ortega, he had a prior injury.”
Giga Chikadze is one of the most exciting featherweight prospects in the promotion and was on an excellent winning streak prior to his loss against Calvin Kattar. He was on a seven-fight unbeaten streak in the UFC with three successive Performance of the Night bonuses.
Check out his full interview below: