UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs Chikadze Preview
Jeff Fox
Finally, after almost a month of inactivity, the UFC is back in our lives. The promotion offers up their first fight card of 2022 this Saturday from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs Chikadze (aka UFC Vegas 46) is headlined by a pivotal showdown at the top of the men’s featherweight division.
But the card isn’t going off without a hitch, as the still raging pandemic has thrown a spanner in the works. Fights and/or fighters are falling off the card and being replaced seemingly every minute. At this point, we have a 10-fight card lined up for the weekend to make some bets on. This is down from the 14 fights that were targeted for this fight card at various points leading up to it.
Kickboxer Chikadze to Come Out on Top
The two featherweights at the top of the card would be Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze. This will be the ultra-durable Kattar’s first appearance in 364 days after being brutalized by Max Holloway last year. While Kattar lasted the full 25 minutes against the former champ, he suffered such a bad concussion he needed the year to recover. And what does he have offered up to him in his return? A dangerous kickboxer capable of laying another hellacious beating on him.
And that is what I’m predicting will happen in Saturday’s main event. Former pro kickboxer Chikadze is just too good of a striker – and Kattar eats just too many strikes – for this fight to go any other way. Kattar is pretty much impossible to make quit in a fight, so Chikadze via decision is the likely outcome. Chikadze at the moneyline of 20/51 is the pick.
Giga: The Professional
[ #UFCVegas46 | Saturday | Prelims 4𝙥𝙢𝙀𝙏 | Main Card 7𝙥𝙢𝙀𝙏 LIVE on @ESPN ] pic.twitter.com/aXROSjykQG
— UFC (@ufc) January 12, 2022
For some reason a matchup between two underwhelming heavyweights has been moved up to the co-main event slot on Saturday. Jake Collier is 4-5 in the UFC and has never won more than one fight in the row in the octagon. Opponent Chase Sherman is 3-7 in the UFC over two stints and has lost two straight fights. Considering Collier lost his last fight and has swapped wins with losses in all nine of his UFC appearances, I guess he’s due for a win this weekend. I’ll go with Collier at 5/7.
Lone ‘Dog of the Night
With fights falling off and the fight card being cut down to 10 fights, I’m left with just one underdog for the night. And he’s barely an underdog. Ramiz Brahimaj is listed at 20/23 for his welterweight fight against grizzled veteran Court McGee. Brahimaj is eight years McGee’s junior, a high-level grappler, and has a much higher fight IQ than the older man. Despite Brahimaj swapping wins and losses over his last six fights, I say that streak ends this weekend. I also predict that his streak of winning all his pro fights via submission (nine for nine thus far) ends as well, as McGee doesn’t get stopped in fights (only once in 30 pro fights and never via submission).
How about some fancy prop bets now? Take former title challenger Katlyn Chookagian via decision over fellow former title challenger Jennifer Maia. ‘Blonde Fighter’ has won all nine of her UFC fights via decision and already beat Maia three years ago. Chookagian via decision at 5/6 should be as safe as a bet is going to get.
Let’s get really wild and take the under 1.5 rounds prop bet in the Brandon Royval vs Rogerio Bontorin flyweight bout. Both men, despite their light weight class, are finishers, so I think it’s worth a sprinkle of cash at the 6/5 number Mansion is offering.