Calvin Kattar Pitches Shutout, Upends Giga Chikadze in Violent UFC on ESPN 32 Headliner

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Calvin Kattar reasserted himself in the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division and could not have done so with any more authority.

The New England Cartel cornerstone carved up Giga Chikadze across five rounds and walked away with a clean-sweep unanimous decision in the UFC on ESPN 32 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Scores were 50-45, 50-45 and 50-44—all for Kattar (23-5, 7-3 UFC), who rebounded from his one-sided drubbing against Max Holloway a year ago.

Chikadze (14-2, 7-1 UFC) conceded a takedown and spent much of the first round pinned to the canvas. His situation only deteriorated from there. Kattar applied maximum pressure, forced the Georgian onto his back foot and called upon every weapon in his vast arsenal, from a surgical jab and front kicks to the body to occasional knees and sweeping elbow strikes at close range. Chikadze responded in spurts and looked like a viable threat from beginning to end, but he could match neither Kattar’s output nor his determination. The Massachusetts native emptied himself in the fifth round, where he slashed away at a battered and bloodied Chikadze with elbows from both sides. The Kings MMA ultimately collapsed under the final barrage and might have been the victim of a finish had the bell not sounded.

The setback was Chikadze’s first since June 19, 2018 and halted the Rafael Cordeiro disciple’s career-best nine-fight winning streak.

THAT's HOW YOU MAKE A STATEMENT

[ @CalvinKattar | #UFCVegas46 ] pic.twitter.com/yJciqlt9Dy

— UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2022

Collier Choke Submits Sherman

Former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion Jake Collier submitted Chase Sherman with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their heavyweight co-main event. Sherman (15-9, 3-8 UFC) raised the white flag 2:26 into Round 1, suffering his third defeat in as many outings.

Collier (13-6, 5-5 UFC) fired hooks from both hands, absorbed a right uppercut in return and tripped the Alan Belcher protégé to the floor. The St. Louis native moved to full mount without much resistance and consolidated those efforts with a series of elbow strikes, one of which took a chunk out of Sherman’s forehead. Soon after, Collier advanced to the back, snuck his arms in place for the choke and forced the tapout.

It was the seventh first-round finish of Collier’s 19-fight career.

Royval Sneaks Past Bontorin

Factory X standout Brandon Royval closed the book on a two-fight losing streak with a contentious split decision over Rogerio Bontorin in a three-round flyweight showcase. All three judges scored it 29-28: Douglas Crosby for Bontorin, Eric Colon and Chris Lee for Royval.

Royval (13-6, 3-2 UFC) picked his spots on the feet throughout the 15-minute encounter and nearly submitted the Gile Ribeiro-trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with an armbar in the third round. Bontorin (17-4, 3-3 UFC), meanwhile, relied heavily on takedowns, top control and positional advances. Royval made his move late in Round 3, where the onetime Legacy Fighting Alliance champion scrambled into top position, clamped down on the Brazilian and hammered him with elbow-laced ground-and-pound. It was enough to curry favor on two of the three scorecards.

Bontorin has lost three of his past four bouts.

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Chookagian Outduels Rival Maia

Former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Katlyn Chookagian moved to 2-0 in her head-to-head series with Jennifer Maia, as she laid claim to a unanimous decision in their women’s flyweight rematch. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Chookagian (17-4, 10-4 UFC), who also outpointed the Brazilian at UFC 244 in November 2019.

Maia (19-8-1, 4-4 UFC) failed to overcome the four-inch reach and five-inch height deficits with which she was presented. Chookagian leaned on a precision jab and front kicks to the body, all while unleashing occasional two- and three-punch combinations. She had Maia in serious peril at the end of Round 2, where she advanced to the back and cinched a rear-naked choke just before the horn sounded. Chookagian flexed her superiority in the standup in the closing stages, once again calling upon jabs and multi-punch volleys.

Chookagian, 33, has won three fights in a row since her knockout loss to Jessica Andrade a little more than a year ago.

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Debuting Borshchev Burns Bush

Team Alpha Male prospect Viacheslav Borshchev cut down Dakota Bush with a sizzling left hook to the body and follow-up hammerfists in the first round of their lightweight feature. Borshchev (6-1, 1-0 UFC) brought it to an emphatic close 3:47 into Round 1, making the most of the platform his promotional debut provided.

Bush (8-4, 0-2 UFC) had his moments, including a knee strike that wobbled the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate and a scramble that resulted in his attaching himself to the Russian’s back. Borshchev weathered his advances, returned to his feet and disengaged from a takedown attempt. Once upright, he trapped Bush along the fence and slammed his fist into the right side of the Glory MMA rep’s ribcage. Hammerfists from Borshchev fell next, prompting referee Herb Dean to intervene.

Borshchev has rattled off four consecutive victories, all of them finishes.

Algeo Spoils Brito Debut

Effective counters, timely takedowns and a superior gas tank spurred former Ring of Combat champion Bill Algeo to a unanimous decision over Joanderson Brito in a three-round featherweight showcase. Algeo (15-6, 2-2 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 marks from the judges, as he won for the seventh time in 10 appearances.

Brito (12-3-1, 0-1 UFC) was the aggressor for much of the match, sometimes to his detriment. He routinely failed on ill-advised takedown attempts that left him in disadvantageous positions and put a strain on his cardio. Algeo staggered the Brazilian with a right hand in the second round but saved his best work for the third, where he utilized knees and elbows from the clinch, executed a late takedown and progressed to the back before time ran out.

The loss snapped a 10-fight winning streak for Brito.

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