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Giga Chikadze could potentially fight Shane Burgos at UFC 257 on January 23rd, 2021.
Giga Chikadze’s manager Ali Abdelaziz suggested that Chikadze is ready to step in on short notice and fight Burgos at UFC 257.
The UFC 257 featherweight matchup between rising stars Shane Burgos and Hakeem Dawodu was one of the most intriguing matchups set to take place this month. However, Dawodu has withdrawn from his UFC 257 fight owing to a shoulder injury. This withdrawal has left Burgos without an opponent for his featherweight bout at UFC 257.
Burgos and Dawodu was a crucial clash for both talented competitors, as a win would have helped them make a statement in the featherweight division.
Will Giga Chikadze replace Hakeem Dawodu at UFC 257?
MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz has taken to his official Twitter account to indicate that Giga Chikadze is ready to fight Shane Burgos at UFC 257. In response to a tweet regarding Hakeem Dawodu’s withdrawal from the Shane Burgos UFC 257 fight, Abdelaziz tweeted the following:
“@giga_chikadze ready to let’s go”
This tweet has set the MMA community abuzz about whether Chikadze could step in to face fellow featherweight star Burgos at UFC 257. As of this writing, the UFC hasn’t put forth an official statement regarding the rumored Chikadze vs Burgos matchup.
Shane Burgos last fought at UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs Volkov in June 2020. He competed in an entertaining back-and-forth fight against Josh Emmett. Burgos ended up losing the battle via unanimous decision.
Giga Chikadze is an exciting striker on a seven-fight win streak
Giga Chikadze was born in Tbilisi, Georgian SSR (Soviet Socialist Republic). The 32-year-old Georgia-born fighter competed in kickboxing before MMA, his record standing at 38 wins and six losses.
Meanwhile, Giga Chikadze’s MMA record is that of 12 wins and two losses. Chikadze’s first loss came on his professional MMA debut when he lost to Gil Guardado via unanimous decision at WSOF 26 in December 2015.
A five-fight winning streak followed this before he suffered his second pro MMA loss. Austin Springer beat Chikadze via third-round submission on Dana White’s Contender Series 10 in June 2018.
Following the loss mentioned above, Giga Chikadze has amassed an impressive seven-fight winning streak. His last fight was a first-round TKO win over Jamey Simmons at UFC on ESPN: Santos vs Teixeira in November 2020.
