Giga Chikadze Targets Yair Rodriguez Matchup at UFC 296 for Next Octagon Appearance

After more than a year-and-a-half on the sidelines, Giga Chikadze made a successful return to the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 225.

The 35-year-old Kings MMA product engaged in a back-and-forth standup battle with Alex Caceres, eventually emerging with a unanimous decision triumph in their featured featherweight clash at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, on Saturday. It was Chikadze’s first bout since dropping a five-round verdict to Calvin Kattar in the UFC on ESPN 32 headliner on Jan. 15, 2022.

“It feels so great. I can’t even explain,” Chikadze said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “It’s been a pretty long time, and I felt like I was without a job. Finally I got my dream job back, and I haven’t been so happy for a long time. So finally, we’re back baby … It’s been 15 minutes, and I feel like every second I looked great, and I’m pretty happy after one-and-a-half year layoff with my performance.”

Caceres was competitive throughout the 15-minute affair, but Chikadze typically landed the more impactful strikes during the 15-minute affair.

“People were telling me that he was breaking in the fight, but I feel like he did a good job staying the whole 15 minutes … I’m a big fan of the guy for a long time,” Chikadze said. “I didn’t want to say that earlier because I don’t like to (say) good stuff about my opponent before the fight.”

As it stands, Chikadze has been victorious in eight of nine appearances within the Las Vegas-based promotion. With that in mind, he has his sights set on a high-profile matchup for his next outing.

“I want to fight [on the] pay-per-view card [UFC 296] in December,” Chikadze said. “I’ve never fought on a pay-per-view card, and I know it’s going to be a huge show. I want to be there and I want to compete against ‘El Pantera’ Yair Rodriguez.”

Rodriguez, a former interim featherweight champion, is coming off a third-round technical knockout loss to Alexander Volkanovski in a title unification bout at UFC 290 on July 8.