Giga Chikadze believes a solid win over UFC perennial contender Cub Swanson will eventually open doors to title opportunities.
Taking place inside the UFC apex in Las Vegas, Giga Chikadze hopes to build off his last performance and generate another impressive win. Prior to the pairing with UFC mainstay Cub Swanson, Chikadze looked better than ever after his demolition of Jamey Simmons in the first round with a head kick that led to finishing ground and pound. The Georgian is on a seven-fight win streak, so a win against a perennial contender like Swanson is a great opportunity to establish himself as a household name.
With such a massive win streak intact, the 32-year old competing out of Kings MMA is readily becoming a target himself. Before the action is going down, Chikadze gave his prediction as to how he sees the fight playing out with Swanson at UFC Vegas 25.
“Cub will then try for the takedown again and I’ll counter with something big and put him out. Giga Chikadze said in an interview with BJPenn. I’m a much different fighter now than I was years ago as I’ve been training my ground game with Beneil Dariush and several others.”
In 2020, Chikadze rattled off four victories in a row, so Swanson certainly sees the value in taking on such a legitimate threat at featherweight. The Georgian fighter believes that Swanson will be the first to shoot in for a takedown. In the midst of a scuffle, Chikadze intends to fire off some shots and end the veteran’s two-fight win streak. Further, if Chikadze succeeds, the featherweight is convinced that a top rank and big fights will ultimately lead him to his title dreams.
“100 percent. The last time Cub lost he was top-10, he has two wins since then. Chikadze said. A win puts him in a good spot to fight a top-10 opponent. I can start calling out big names when I knockout Cub, I can call people out and they will have to accept. I will be in the top five at least by the end of this year. If I stay active, I know I can be the champion by the end of this year or early next.”
With a laser focus on becoming a champion, if Giga Chikadze’s 2021 season is anything like last year, a title shot by year’s end definitely isn’t out of the question. After all, if he gets through Swanson it shows he’s ready for stiffer competition and an eight-fight win-streak is hard to deny.
Let us know here at MMANews your prediction for the featherweight fight between Cub Swanson and Giga Chikadze!
