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Number 8-ranked UFC featherweight Giga Chikadze put out a tweet indicating that he's ready to fight. The Georgian mixed martial artist put out a bold tweet directed at the UFC, company president Dana White, matchmaker Sean Shelby and his manager, Ali Abdelaziz.
Taking the opportunity to respond to his tweet, No. 3-ranked Georgian bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili posted a ninja emoji. Although both fighters from Georgia are in different weight classes, a potential matchup between Chikadze and Dvalishvili would make for an interesting fight.
Check out Giga Chikadze's tweet below:
The caption of Giga Chikadze's tweet read:
"[Whose] liver [do] you guys want me to kick?"
Here is the response from Merab Dvalishvili:
Giga Chikadze last fought Calvin Kattar at UFC Vegas 46, where the American fighter put an absolute beating on his Georgian counterpart. The contest between them was declared the Fight of the Night.
Chikadze has a promotional record of 7-1 and an overall MMA record of 14-3.
Merab Dvalishvili last fought former champion José Aldo at UFC 287 where he won a unanimous decision victory over 'Junior'. In 10 UFC fights, Dvalishvili is 8-2 and has an overall MMA record of 15-4.
'The Machine' is currently on an eight-fight win streak in the UFC. He is scheduled to fight the No. 2-ranked bantamweight contender and former champion Petr Yan at UFC Fight Night 221 in March.
When Calvin Kattar put the brakes on Giga Chikadze's momentum
Giga Chikadze had one of the more stellar rises in the UFC's featherweight division, entering the promotion with a 7-2 record. He made his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 160 against Brandon Davis where he edged out a split-decision victory.
Following his promotional win, Chikadze went on a six-fight tear in the featherweight division, amassing a 7-0 record. His most notable wins include a first-round TKO win over Cub Swanson at UFC Vegas 25 and a third-round TKO win over striking phenom Edson Barboza at UFC Vegas 35.
Chikadze seemed unstoppable in the featherweight division until he met Calvin Kattar at UFC Vegas 46. The bout was a fire-fight but Chikadze wasn't able to mount a meaningful offense on Kattar. Furthermore, he was knocked down and almost finished in the final seconds of the last round.
Calvin Kattar scored 10-9 rounds on all the judges' scorecards for all five rounds. Despite losing the bout, Chikadze was given the Fight of the Night bonus along with Kattar.
Chikadze was supposed to make his return against Sodiq Yusuff at UFC Fight Night 210. However, the bout was canceled as Chikadze had to withdraw from the fight citing an injury.
