Streaking UFC featherweight striker Giga Chikadze expects to compete for the 145-pound title with a victory over No. 5-ranked slugger Calvin Kattar in the upcoming UFC Vegas 46 main event on Jan. 15 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
That would put “Ninja” against the winner of Alex Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway, assuming the promotion can get “The Great” to agree to a third fight against “Blessed” after already going up two-zip on the quick-fisted Hawaiian.
“They’ve been talking about this, and I get it, but this fight already happened twice,” Chikadze, 33, told MMA Junkie. “So I could pass this and just ask for a title (shot), but I want to fight someone from the top five, and Calvin Kattar’s name came. I think that was the only guy who wasn’t busy, and ‘Zombie’ (Chan Sung Jung) was injured, so I picked Kattar, and now we have him for January.”
Chikadze (14-2) is the winner of nine straight with five nasty finishes and was last seen capturing a third-round stoppage over fellow featherweight striker Edson Barboza. The victory was enough to push “Ninja” to No. 7 in the official rankings.
“I’ve been saying this for a long time, and people didn’t believe it before,” Chikadze continued. “Now finally they’re starting to believe it. I’m the people’s champ. I can beat anyone in the featherweight division in the world, and I feel it’s time, and it’s time to make it all official. First things first, January and then we make all this official.”
Or Kattar will make him “pay” for all his chatter.