Featherweights
Giga Chikadze (11-2) vs. James Krause-Simmons (7-2)Chikadze has been a pleasant surprise since he landed on the UFC roster in 2019, particularly given his resume prior to arriving in the Octagon. While Chikadze had some renown as a kickboxing prospect, his mixed martial arts wins came against an absolutely dreadful level of competition. However, Chikadze has done well to hold his own in the UFC and show some improvements each time out. His once non-existent grappling is now solidly effective, and his October win over Omar Morales saw him resolve some nagging cardio issues. As some fights on this card were falling through, word leaked that Chikadze was aiming for a quick turnaround, with some hoping he could face Drew Dober or Arnold Allen, both of whom were in need of opponents. Instead, Chikadze draws a newcomer in Krause-Simmons. Wisconsin’s “Afro Samurai” looks to have some natural power, but that is about all he has going for him in this pairing, as he tends to become more of a brawler in the face of resistance than anything else. That wild aggression may throw off Chikadze for a bit, but once the Georgian finds his groove, this should not be much of a challenge. The pick is Chikadze via first-round knockout.
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