Calvin Kattar kicked off the UFC's 2022 slate in style with a violent thumping of Giga Chikadze en route to a unanimous decision in a high-octane featherweight battle Saturday night in Las Vegas.
The two kept a frantic pace, but Kattar's relentless pressure and exceptional boxing broke down Chikadze over the course of 25 minutes and handed the Georgian his first loss in the UFC. After taking a one-sided throttling from Max Holloway a year ago, Kattar returned to the Octagon with a vengeance.
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Chikadze deployed leg kicks from the outset. Kattar sought to apply pressure but couldn't find his mark. Just when it appeared as if Chikadze was in control and landing multiple strikes, a missed kick gave Kattar an opening to dive in for a takedown. Fortunately for Chikadze, he avoided taking damage and Kattar was able to secure just a pair of submission attempts.
That round was an outlier; the next four were fought on the feet, with the No. 5-ranked Kattar offering a steady diet of jabs, step-in elbows and power shots that piled on the damage.
Chikadze did his best to fend off the pressure and was back on his striking game in the second round. He landed several body kicks while mixing up his punches from different angles. The varied approach seemed to keep Kattar off balance until "The Boston Finisher" steadied himself with a jab and pressed forward to force Chikadze to fend him off. A short knee from Kattar and a left hand rattled Chikadze. Just when Chikadze seemed to be getting the batter of Kattar, he ran into a spinning elbow that buzzed him.
Chikadze continued to absorb punishment but refused to wilt under the pressure. In the third round, he briefly buzzed Kattar with a combination but found himself on the wrong end of a persistent jab and power shots. Chikadze was wearing a crimson mask in the fourth round from the punishment he absorbed but continued to fight back. Kattar, however, continued to ram elbows and jabs into his opponent's face. A pair of elbows staggered Chikadze in the final round and a combination put him down in the final seconds of the fight.
THAT's HOW YOU MAKE A STATEMENT 💥
— UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2022
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The nonstop assault from Kattar earned him scores of 50-45, 50-45 and 50-44. He is squarely back in the featherweight title hunt after a performance that is sure to put the division on notice.
In the co-main event, Jake Collier needed only one round to submit Chase Sherman in a heavyweight showdown.
Collier wasted little time applying pressure. "The Prototype" landed heavy bombs early, secured a takedown, found Sherman's back and sunk in a rear-naked choke to get back into the win column after suffering a loss to Carlos Felipe last June.
Sherman found himself in a war early as Collier let his hands go. Eventually, Collier scored an unlikely takedown and leveled Sherman with ground and pound until his opponent rolled over to give up his back. Collier wrapped his arm around Sherman's neck and got the submission at 2:26 of the round.
The first submission of 2022 locked in by @JakeCollier88 🔒
— UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2022
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Elsewhere on the card, Kaitlyn Chookagian put herself back into title contention by securing a unanimous decision in a rematch with Jennifer Maia.
Chookagian and Maia met in 2019; the "Blonde Fighter" won by unanimous decision then, too. On Satutrday, Chookagian using a healthy mix of precision striking and wrestling to go 2-0 against her rival.
After back-and-forth striking that included Maia landing a hard right hand, Chookagian secured a takedown midway through the first round and controlled her opponent until the end of it. An ultra-aggressive Maia managed to get her licks in and busted Chookagian's left eye open in the second and kept the pressure on. But Chookagian used Maia's aggression against her and rammed a knee into Maia's chin on a failed takedown attempt. Maia tried a Judo throw toward the end of the round and gave up her back.
Chookagian showcased her sharp striking in the final round and picked off Maia's advances. The former contender continually stung Maia with a jab followed by a right hand. Maia was unable to mix up her strikes enough as Chookagian had a definitive read on her opponent. With a clean sweep on the scorecard, Chookagian may be a win away from another shot at the women's flyweight belt held by Valentina Shevchenko.