LAS VEGAS -- Giga Chikodze has declared that he is the No. The UFC's No. 1 striker. This man may have a case.
Chikadze (12-0) improved his UFC record by knocking out Edson Barboza (44 seconds and 1 minute 44 seconds respectively) on Saturday. UFC Fight Night at the Apex featured the featherweight fight.
After Chikadze, representing Georgia, injured Barboza with a step in knee to his midsection, the finish was achieved. Barboza pulled back from the shot and Chikadze seized the chance. He hit Barboza with one after the other with his right hands. The Brazilian never recovered fully from the initial shot.
After briefly threating Barboza with a submission to the ground, Barboza fell over from the strikes, Chikadze continued to attack Barboza's feet until Jason Herzog intervened.
Barboza, aged 35, protested against the stoppage but was severely off-balance, and struggling to defend his rights.
This is a huge win for Chikadze who was a former professional kickboxer and signed with UFC in 2019. Barboza, who was the higher-ranked fighter of the two going into Saturday's fight, was riding a remarkable run of back to back wins against Makwan Amirkhani (and Shane Burgos)
After the fight, Chikadze requested either a title shot against Max Holloway or a matchup with him. Holloway is currently recuperating from an injury so a fight has not been scheduled.
Chikadze fights out at Kings MMA in Southern California. He hasn't lost since he was a contestant in Dana White’s Contender Series in June 2018.
