Giga Chikadze: Record, Net Worth, Weight, Age & More!
Who is Giga Chikadze?
Giga Chikadze is a mixed martial artist and kickboxer from the European country of Georgia. He fights at 145 pounds in the featherweight division of the UFC. Before he joined the UFC as a serious contender for the title, he was circling the championship ranks in GLORY as a professional kickboxer.
What this article covers:
- Who is Giga Chikadze?
- How Old is Giga Chikadze?
- How Tall is Giga Chikadze?
- How Much Does Giga Chikadze Weigh?
- Giga Chikadze Fight List
- Giga Chikadze's Best Fight of All Time
- Giga Chikadze Record
Chikadze was born in the late 1980s in Tbilisi and began to train in karate as a young child of only five years old after he got inspiration from seeing Jet Li and Bruce Lee Movies and asked his parents to let him join. Later in life, he also credits his viewing of the BJJ legend Royce Gracie on bootleg VHS tapes of the first UFC to introducing him to MMA as an idea.
He began kickboxing before ever turning to MMA and moved to the Netherlands to train with the dutch, who are known for their sharp and powerful striking technique. After years of preparation, he joined GLORY, the world’s foremost kickboxing organization, in 2015 to make a name for himself as a professional fighter.
After several years of Kickboxing competition, Giga Chikadze decided to begin training in MMA, and soon had accepted a fight as a lightweight in the World Series of Fighting. This was his first pro outing, and it was a loss that sidelined him for a year while he adapted his kickboxing skills to more directly relate to his new path in mixed martial arts.
A year later, Chikadze joined up with a smaller promotion known as Gladiator Challenge for several of their special events. He quickly earned a name for himself after going on what could accurately be described as a five-fight rampage through the lighter weight divisions of the promotion. His five fights ended with five first round knockouts and got him attention from the UFC higher-ups.
That attention earned Giga a spot on Dana White’s contender series in Las Vegas, where Chikadze had a chance to earn a spot in the UFC. The stage seemed set for Giga’s ascent to the UFC, but the match didn’t go as planned. Giga was submitted in the third round and sent home with a pro record of 5-2, still boasting five knockouts.
The UFC didn’t forget about this seasoned competitor, however. After a short return to Gladiator challenge for two more easy wins, one by knockout and one by armbar, Giga was offered a four fight contract in the UFC which he happily accepted.
His first four outings in the UFC were four victories, but all of them came by decision and Giga was still looking to meet the expectations that he had set by knocking out five opponents in a row. He resigned with the UFC for a new round of fights, and impressed by knocking out three more opponents: Jamey Simmons, Cub Swanson, and Edson Barboza.
Knocking out Swanson and Barboza back to back demanded a serious contender, and in 2022 Chikadze faced off with fellow superstar Calvin Kattar in an absolutely gruesome 25 minute headline bout. Giga lost by unanimous decision, but both fighters left something in the ring and were handed medical suspensions while they recovered from the damage.
Giga’s hotly-anticipated return to MMA was originally expected in September of 2022, but he was forced to withdraw from the match for undisclosed reasons. We’re waiting anxiously to see one of the best modern title contenders to come through the UFC in years make his return to the cage by 2023.
How Old is Giga Chikadze?
Giga Chikadze was born on the 25th of August in 1988 in Tbilisi, in the European country of Georgia. He is 34 years old as of 2022.
Giga Chikadze Family
Not much has been published about Giga Chikadze’s family. He maintains a private life, preferring to focus on the sport when interviewed.
How Much is Giga Chikadze Worth?
Giga Chikadze’s net worth is not public information. He is a contender in the UFC.
How Tall is Giga Chikadze?
Giga Chikadze is 6’0” (1.83m), which is tall for a featherweight fighter. His reach is an impressive 74”.
How Much Does Giga Chikadze Weigh?
Giga Chikadze competes at 145 pounds, or about 66 kg in the featherweight division of the UFC. He is a former professional kickboxer with the Glory organization at the same weight.
Giga Chikadze Fight List
Giga Chikadze had almost 50 fights as a kickboxer before turning to professional MMA, so we’ll focus on his efforts as a mixed martial artist below:
- Dec 2015 vs Gil Guardado on WSOF 26 - Loss via Unanimous Decision
- Dec 2106 vs Joe Bear on Gladiator Challenge - Win via TKO
- Mar 2017 vs Anthony Ross on Gladiator Challenge - Win via TKO
- Jun 2017 vs Julian Hernandez on Gladiator Challenge - Win via TKO
- Dec 2017 vs Kevin Gratts on Gladiator Challenge - Win via KO
- Apr 2018 vs Kevin Ceron on Gladiator Challenge - Win via TKO
- Jun 2018 vs Austin Springer on Dana White’s Contender Series - Loss via R.N.C.
- Aug 2018 vs C.J.Baines on Gladiator Challenge - Win via Armbar
- Mar 2019 vs Damien Manzanares on Gladiator Challenge - Win via TKO
- Sep 2019 vs Brandon Davis on UFC Fight Night - Win via Split Decision
- Mar 2020 vs Jamall Emmers on UFC Fight 248 - Win via Split Decision
- May 2020 vs Irwin Rivera on UFC on ESPN - Win via Unanimous Decision
- Oct 2020 vs Omar Morales on UFC Fight Night - Win via Unanimous Decision
- Nov 2020 vs Jamey Simmons on UFC on ESPN - Win via TKO
- May 2021 vs Cub Swanson on UFC on ESPN - Win via TKO
- August 2021 vs Edson Barboza on UFC on ESPN - Win via TKO
- Jan 2022 vs Calvin Kattar on UFC on ESPN - Loss via Unanimous Decision
Giga Chikadze's Best Fight of All Time
For a fighter like Giga Chikadze who has competed in multiple sports, it can be hard to identify a single, shining moment to stand above the rest. Still, his match against Edson Barboza in August of 2021 stands out as a bright spot.
Barboza is known for his deadly striking and for his highlight-reel spinning wheel kick that sends opponents to the canvas, but Giga was ready for him last summer when the two met as headliners for UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Chikadze.
Both put on a true display of striking skill, but Chikadze was able to end Edson’s night early in the third round when he caught him with a flurry of punches that forced the referee to stop the action about two minutes into the third round. A TKO of one of the UFC’s most notorious knockout artists while headlining a fight card and winning a bonus for performance of the night? This surely ranks as one of Giga’s proudest outings.
Who Did Giga Chikadze Lose To?
Giga has only lost three times in professional MMA competition but his most recent loss came to another up-and-comer, Calvin Kattar, in early 2022. The two met on another UFC on ESPN card, again as the headline bout. The match was initially back-and-forth, but as the action wore on it became clear that Kattar was getting the better of Chikadze. Kattar won a unanimous decision.
Giga Chikadze Record
As a mixed martial artist, Giga’s overall professional record is 14-3-0.
His professional kickboxing record is also an impressive 38-8.
Giga Chikadze Injuries
Giga was injured badly during his loss to Calvin Kattar in January of 2021, and was given an indefinite medical suspension by the athletic commission pending medical and neurological evaluations. The 25 minute fight was brutal, and caused lasting damage to Chikadze’s body.
He was originally scheduled to return to the Octagon in September of 2022, but withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons. We’re all rooting for Giga to get back in the cage when he feels ready, as he was on a 7-fight win streak prior to the loss and was headed for a date with champion Alexander Volkanovski had the match with Kattar gone differently.
Is Giga Chikadze Retired?
Giga Chikadze is not retired from professional MMA or kickboxing. His impressive 14-3 record and outstanding UFC presence have us all hoping the 34 year old will return for another run at the title. Should he choose not to return to the UFC contention picture, Giga also has the option of returning to kickboxing and contending for titles.
Chikadze is also a producer of instructional content that spreads his love of combat sports to other fanatics. He has teamed up with Dynamic Striking to create a tutorial on his own striking style, with his amazing offering, “Spicing Up Striking with the Giga Step”. In this volume, you’ll learn to use not only your hands and feet, but to improve your footwork and distance control as well. Giga uses his extensive background in karate to show you what it takes to get in for the strike and get back to the outside safely; treat yourself to some new standup tools today!
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