Giga Chikadze Addresses Weight Miss Ahead of UFC Kansas City Bout

The Octagon returns this Saturday night, heading to the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City for the event on April 26th.

Kansas City is set to host a UFC Fight Night card featuring several exciting matchups, including a highly anticipated welterweight main event.

Ian Machado Garry has exchanged strong words with Carlos Prates leading up to their five-round clash, which promises intense striking exchanges.

In the co-main event, Anthony Smith is potentially making his final walk to the cage to cap off a significant career as he faces the dangerous knockout artist Zhang Mingyang.

A potentially overlooked but exciting fight on the main card was briefly uncertain following the sole weight miss on April 25th. However, the featherweight bout between Giga Chikadze and David Onama will proceed as scheduled after Chikadze weighed in at 147 pounds.

Chikadze Dismisses Weight Miss as Minor Issue, Not His Fault

In his previous 10 appearances in the UFC, Giga Chikadze had consistently made the featherweight limit of 145 pounds (or 146 for non-title fights), making this weekend in Kansas City his first weight miss.

The fighter from Georgia is looking for a much-needed victory to bounce back from a one-sided loss to Arnold Allen at UFC 304 last year. To secure the win, he`ll need to stop David Onama`s current three-fight winning streak.

Entering 2022, Chikadze was rapidly ascending the featherweight rankings, having earned three consecutive Performance of the Night bonuses with stoppage wins over notable opponents like Edson Barboza and Cub Swanson.

His rise was significantly halted after a dominant loss to Calvin Kattar, which was followed by a long period of inactivity for `Ninja`.

Following his weigh-in miss, the stakes are now arguably even higher for Chikadze as he attempts to regain momentum and climb back into contention in the 145-pound division.

Despite this, he indicated in an interview with Inside Fighting that he doesn`t view the weight miss as a major problem because he was only slightly over the 146-pound limit.

Chikadze also suggested that an error occurred somewhere along the way, claiming he believed he was on weight when he checked before stepping onto the official scale.

Regardless of the reason, he will forfeit 20 percent of his fight purse to his opponent, but the bout will still proceed as planned.

Chikadze stated: “I thought I did everything so when I made the weight in my scale, it was like pretty much I did all healthy, I didn’t hurt myself and then I was already there ready and loaded with all the electrolytes and I was like, you know, we did it. I don’t think it was my mistake but you know, sometimes things like that happen. Never happened in my life but I guess first time and it’s not something that was major, missed weight or something. It’s all good. I feel like 0.7 pounds is no big difference there.”

Giga Chikadze Thanks Dana White for Support During Injury Recovery

Giga Chikadze took considerable time away from the sport to recover from various injuries he had been competing with during his tenure in the UFC.

Despite the issue at the weigh-ins, the Georgian striker expressed confidence that on April 26th, he will finally be able to demonstrate his full capabilities now that he is feeling healthy.

In a backstage interview with the UFC, he extended his gratitude to Dana White for his support, which he credits with helping him prepare to enter the Octagon in his best possible physical state.

The 36-year-old currently holds the #12 ranking in the featherweight division. A victory over David Onama could potentially position him for a bout against a top 10 ranked opponent in the near future.