Giga
Chikadze has withdrawn from a proposed
UFC 296 clash against
Josh Emmett
on Dec. 16.
Emmett initially announced that Chikadze had pulled out of the
event on social media, and it has since been confirmed by multiple
outlets. The exact nature of Chikadze’s exit is currently
unknown.
UFC 296 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is
headlined by a welterweight title tilt between
Leon
Edwards and
Colby
Covington. In the co-main event,
Alexandre
Pantoja will defend the flyweight crown against
Brandon
Royval.
After a hiatus that lasted more than a year and a half, Chikadze
returned to action at UFC Fight Night 225, where he outpointed
Alex
Caceres on Aug. 26. The 35-year-old Kings MMA product is 8-1
during his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion.
Emmett, meanwhile, is coming off back-to-back losses against
Ilia
Topuria and
Yair
Rodriguez in his last two Octagon appearances.