UFC Vegas 35: Edson Barboza vs. Giga Chikadze Main Event Picks

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has a jam-packed schedule and this Saturday we are getting what should be a very entertaining fight between Edson Barboza and Giga Chikadze. Here’s a complete preview, including updated UFC odds and our betting pick.

Edson Barboza vs. Giga Chikadze

UFC Featherweight Main Event Bout

Saturday, August 21, 2021 – 11:15 PM EDT at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas

In the main event of the evening, Edson Barboza battles Giga Chikadze. UFC Vegas 35 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. With plenty of betting lines and markets currently available, let’s attempt to find some value for our UFC picks on Saturday’s main event.

Edson Barboza of Brazil. Carmen Mandato/Getty Images/AFP

Edson Barboza

Introduction, Background and UFC Career

Edson Barboza is one of the most dangerous kickers in the UFC. Barboza had his first fight in the promotion in 2010 and his lethal kicking offense helped him earn respect from fellow fighters and fans alike. Significant wins over Paul Felder, Anthony Pettis, Gilbert Melendez, Beneil Dariush and Dan Hooker are part of an impressive resume.

Barboza was riding a three-fight losing streak but there was never cause for concern, as the setbacks came via split decisions and against a force in Justin Gaethje and he then got back on track by winning a unanimous decision against Makwan Amirkhani at UFC Fight Night 179 on October 10th and in his last fight he stopped Shane Burgos in the third round at UFC 262 on May 15th.

Born:January 21st, 1986Age:35Country:BrazilHeight:5’11?Weight:145 lbsReach:75?Stance:OrthodoxAssociation:American Top TeamClass:FeatherweightRecord:22-9

Stats

Method of VictorySignificant StrikesTakedowns13 wins by KO/TKO4.16 Landed44% Accuracy1 win by Submission4.15 Absorbed78% Defended8 wins by Decision

Octagon Strengths

Devastating kicking powerMost of his fights came against top-ten ranked fightersBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown beltTaekwondo black beltMuay Thai black prajied

Octagon Weaknesses

Two losses by knockout in the previous two years

Giga Chikadze (L) of Georgia. Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images/AFP

Giga Chikadze

Introduction, Background and UFC Career

A former Glory kickboxer, K1 world champion and European Muay Thai champion, Giga Chikadze transitioned his striking skills into MMA, taking the UFC featherweight division by storm in the process. He was 38-6 in kickboxing from 2008-2017 and he's 6-0 since debuting in the UFC in 2019, including first round TKOs against Jamey Simmons and Cub Swanson in his last two fights.

Giga Chikadze remained active throughout 2020 and this will be his second walk to the octagon this year. Chikadze's love for striking began with Goju-Ryu Karate (he has a third-degree black belt in the discipline) and the clash with Barboza's Muay Thai striking background guarantees a striking clinic on Saturday.

Born:August 25th, 1988Age:32Country:GeorgiaHeight:6’0?Weight:145 lbsReach:74?Stance:OrthodoxAssociation:Kings MMAClass:FeatherweightRecord:13-2

Stats

Method of VictorySignificant StrikesTakedowns8 wins by KO/TKO3.55 Landed33% Accuracy1 win by Submission2.67 Absorbed68% Defended4 wins by Decision

Octagon Strengths

2020 Under the Radar Fighter of the Year by MMAjunkie.comHas won his last eight fightsCan cover a lot of ground in a short space of time while attacking

Octagon Weaknesses

Overcommits to an attack as fights wear on and can be counteredhttps://youtu.be/BWKIz1rQpUQ

Prediction

Chikadze has many potential paths to victory because of his diverse range of strikes and patience will be the key to this fight for him. He has to avoid grappling exchanges and carefully select his shots at range. This will be Chikadze's first main event but so far he hasn't shown signs of slowing down when his fights have lasted at least three rounds. To me, his awareness and fight IQ will help him address Barboza's kicks.

UFC Pick: (visit our Sportsbook Review)

*The pick reflects the line at the moment the writer made the play, the odds at the beginning of this article show the live line movement. Since the lines might vary, don’t forget to refer back to our live odds.