History of Giga Chikadze in Timeline

Giga Chikadze is a Georgian professional mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. He currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)'s Featherweight division, holding the #9 rank as of May 14, 2024. Prior to the UFC, he competed in GLORY's Featherweight division.

August 1988: Birth and Early Martial Arts Influence

Giga Chikadze was born in Tbilisi in August 1988. Around the age of four or five, inspired by martial arts films featuring Jet Li and Bruce Lee, he began his journey in Gōjū-ryū Karate. His interest in MMA was sparked by early UFC events, particularly UFC 1, where he was deeply impressed by Royce Gracie's ability to defeat larger opponents.

2015: Joining GLORY Kickboxing

In 2015, Giga Chikadze joined GLORY, a prominent kickboxing organization, after moving to the Netherlands to further his kickboxing training.

May 2020: UFC on ESPN 8 Victory

Giga Chikadze secured a victory against Irwin Rivera, a newcomer to the UFC, by unanimous decision in May 2020 at UFC on ESPN 8. This followed a change in opponent after Mike Davis withdrew due to a weight cut-related illness.

August 2020: Withdrawal from UFC Fight Night 175

In August 2020, Giga Chikadze had to withdraw from a scheduled bout against Alex Caceres at UFC Fight Night 175 due to testing positive for COVID-19. Kevin Croom, a newcomer to the UFC, stepped in as his replacement.

October 2020: UFC Fight Night 179 Victory

Giga Chikadze won a unanimous decision victory against Omar Morales at UFC Fight Night 179 in October 2020, despite knocking Morales down in the last round.

November 2020: UFC on ESPN 17: Performance of the Night

Giga Chikadze's victory via technical knockout in the first round against Jamey Simmons, a UFC newcomer, at UFC on ESPN 17 earned him the Performance of the Night award.

May 2021: UFC on ESPN 23: Victory and Performance Bonus

At UFC on ESPN 23 in May 2021, Giga Chikadze secured a first-round technical knockout victory against Cub Swanson, delivering a powerful liver kick. This win also earned him the Performance of the Night bonus award.

August 2021: UFC on ESPN 30: Another Impressive Victory

Giga Chikadze triumphed over Edson Barboza at UFC on ESPN 30 in August 2021, winning by technical knockout in a hard-fought match that went into the third round. His performance earned him another Performance of the Night award.

January 2022: UFC on ESPN 32: Fight of the Night

In the main event of UFC on ESPN 32 in January 2022, Giga Chikadze faced Calvin Kattar. Despite being knocked down and nearly finished in the final seconds of the fight, he showed resilience. Chikadze lost the fight via unanimous decision, but the exciting match earned him the Fight of the Night award.

May 2022: Forrest Griffin Community Award

Giga Chikadze received the UFC 2022 Recipient of Forrest Griffin Community Award in May 2022. This recognition highlighted his exceptional commitment to volunteer work and charitable endeavors, particularly through his non-profit organization, "Knockout Cancer Foundation." The foundation provides financial assistance to individuals battling cancer by helping with their medical expenses.

September 17, 2022: Withdrawal from UFC Fight Night 210

Giga Chikadze was scheduled to fight Sodiq Yusuff at UFC Fight Night 210 on September 17, 2022, but withdrew due to an injury, leading to the cancellation of the bout.

August 26, 2023: UFC Fight Night 225 Victory

Giga Chikadze returned to the octagon and secured a unanimous decision victory against Alex Caceres at UFC Fight Night 225 on August 26, 2023.

December 16, 2023: Withdrawal from UFC 296

Giga Chikadze was set to fight Josh Emmett at UFC 296 on December 16, 2023. However, he had to pull out due to an undisclosed injury, leading to Bryce Mitchell taking his place in the bout against Emmett.