His striking talent, supplemented with his ever-growing Octagon experience, seems to benefit Chikadze tenfold. The general belief is that Chikadze, while a great striker, isn’t as versed as he needs to be on the ground, a claim he refutes, and he believes he is primed to make a run up the featherweight ladder in 2021 whether people see him as a dark horse or not.
“I was an underdog in all my fights,” Chikadze said. “Finally, I became the favorite. Like, finally. Yes, my ground game is very underrated, and my wrestling as well, but we have wrestling in the blood. Georgians, they have wrestling. They have it in the DNA. Finally, it’s waking up.”
Swanson is the kind of opponent that can multiply the respect people hold for Chikadze, especially if he finishes the Californian. That said, he understands the kind of test Swanson presents and sees him as much more than a veteran stepping-stone.
A Conversation With Dominick Reyes
Fighting in the co-main slot is the biggest spotlight in which Chikadze has stood so far in his career, and he says he is going to expect main event opportunities to come soon if he gets the job done. Ultimately, though, he wants to show people – peers and fans alike – that he is a fighter “without any gaps,” one that, by year’s end, could be within shouting distance of the ultimate goal: UFC gold.
“I want people to see me as the best MMA fighter,” he said. “If the fight goes by decision, I want to be, all these 15 minutes, a dominant fighter everywhere it goes. Striking, wrestling or ground game. I have a tough opponent, but I’m promising to knock this guy out.”
