UFC Fight Night: Calvin Kattar vs. Giga Chikadze Odds and Picks

Kyle Smith

Last Updated: September 17, 2022 11:02 AM EDT • 2 min 34 sec read. Twitter link Google News Link

JACKSONVILLE, FL - MAY 09: Calvin Kattar (L) of the United States punches Jeremy Stephens (R) of the United States in their Featherweight fight during UFC 249 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on May 9, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Ultraviolence is on the menu on Saturday when a pair of top-10 featherweights square off in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Chikadze. We break it down with our top Kattar-Chikadze UFC picks and predictions.

What a way to kick-off 2022.

An excellent striker, the impossibly tough Calvin Kattar returns to the Octagon after nearly a year on the shelf, as he recovered from one of the most lopsided losses in MMA history. Kattar absorbed a potentially career-altering 445 significant strikes in defeat against former 145-pound kingpin Max Holloway in the main event of UFC on ABC back in January of 2021.

Chikadze beat division stalwart Edson Barboza via TKO in his last trip to the eight-sided cage. He buried the Brazilian in a hail of fists to cap off UFC on ESPN 32 in August. The former kickboxer is a perfect 7-0 since making his UFC debut in September 2019. The last three of those bouts ended via TKO.

A win for Kattar would keep him firmly entrenched in the featherweight top five, while a resounding victory for Chikadze would vault him into a potential title eliminator later this year.

Here are my Kattar-Chikadze picks and predictions for Saturday’s UFC featherweight main event (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Kattar vs. Chikadze Fight Info

Date/Time: Saturday, Jan. 15, 7 p.m. ET (main card)TV: ESPN/ESPN+Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, NV

Kattar vs. Chikadze Odds Analysis

The lower-ranked fighter, Chikadze opened as a -175 favorite on multiple books, and that number has dropped even lower as the fight draws nearer. With Kattar’s physical and mental state in question following the Holloway beating, Chikadze has moved to a -235 favorite at DraftKings, and a -250 favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook.

If you’re looking to back the battle-tested underdog, Kattar can be found at +198 at FanDuel, and +190 at DraftKings.

Kattar Betting Profile

The fifth-ranked featherweight in the UFC, Kattar is looking to return to title contention.

An excellent technical boxer with a solid jab, Kattar can be baited into a close-range, fist-slinging, firefight and that can sometimes be his downfall (as evidenced by his loss to the technically superior Holloway). Still, his UFC tenure is littered with high-caliber victories, racking up stoppage wins over Ricardo Lamas, Jeremy Stephens, and Shane Burgos.

His last UFC win came against fellow top-10 featherweight Dan Ige in July of 2020, when he escaped UFC on ESPN 13 with a unanimous decision victory.

Kattar is 6-3 in his UFC career and 22-5 overall in his MMA career.

Chikadze Betting Profile

The streaking "Ninja" could find himself in a featherweight title bout at some point in 2022.

An excellent kickboxer with burgeoning finishing ability, Chikadze is undefeated during his seven-fight UFC tenure, with his last three wins coming via TKO. He took his first steps into the upper echelon of the 145-pound division in 2021 with his aforementioned stoppage victory over Barboza, and an impressive TKO of former contender Cub Swanson.

Chikadze crumbled Swanson with a rib-roasting “Giga-kick” before polishing him off with punches.

Currently riding a nine-fight winning streak, Chikadze is 14-2 in his MMA career, with his last loss coming in 2018.

Kattar vs. Chikadze Picks

To win: Chikadze (-235) ???Winning method: Chikadze to win by decision (+225) ???

Kattar vs. Chikadze Predictions

Chikadze (-235)

In what should be an incredible main event, Chikadze will become a certified title contender on Saturday night. Although Kattar is an excellent striker, Chikadze is a level above him in both technical skill, and varied attack.

Look for Chikadze to outstrike Kattar with some body-punishing Giga-kicks for 25 minutes en route to a …

Chikadze to win by decision (+225)

The almost too tough Kattar has never been KO/TKO’d during his 27-fight career.

“The Boston Finisher” absorbed a record-breaking 445 significant strikes against Holloway, and was still upright after 25 minutes. Unless that bout turned out to be a "body-breaker," Kattar will survive all five rounds against Chikadze and lose in another clear-cut unanimous decision.

SEE ALSO: All picks and odds. Be sure to check out SportsbookReview.com’s community forums and betting tools.

Kattar-Chikadze picks made 1/12/2022 at 10:25 p.m. ET.

Written By:
Kyle Smith

A sportswriter for more than a decade, Kyle Smith was once voted “World’s 78th Greatest Lover” by ‘Relatively Attractive People Magazine’.* After covering nearly every sport under the sun for theScore, Smith settled in as head MMA writer where he helped shape the company’s coverage and establish its combat sports identity. Since then, he’s dipped his toes (cannonballed) into the world of betting, where he specializes in the UFC and NHL. Constantly chasing that gigantic Parlay Dragon, Smith was devastated when a Leon Edwards head kick completely obliterated a recent five-leg parlay. You can read his rantings and ravings on Twitter @Heldrificus. *Not a real publication.