Giga Chikadze has impressed during his UFC run, and now he’ll look to add a big name to his resume at UFC Vegas 25 against Cub Swanson.
Five straight wins have catapulted Giga Chikadze to the #14 spot in the featherweight rankings. While he’s storming the division, he’s still looking for that signature win, which just might come his way at UFC Vegas 25 in the form of his co-main event opponent Cub Swanson. But like all of his opponents, Giga is thinking about the fight in the exact same way that he thinks about all of them.
“I always think if I was my opponent, what would I do against me?” Chikadze mused. “Cub is a great fighter. He has great striking for MMA, but besides that, he’s got a very good ground game.”
And with that mindset, Giga knows exactly what he would do if he were in the WEC veteran’s shoes. He’d want this thing on the ground.
“If I was Cub Swanson fighting Giga Chikadze, I’m definitely trying to take him down and trying my best to submit him,” he said.
While he thinks that’d be the right move for Swanson, he does recognize that Swanson is no stranger to a brawl. He’s been in six fight of the night showdowns and one fight that won fight of the year across a number of platforms. If he does choose that road, Chikadze has a good idea how it’ll go.
“If he fights me in a striking fight, I’m sure this fight is going to be a historical fight and we’re going to go a couple of rounds before I knock him out,” he said. “And that’s going to be a super entertaining fight for the fans.”
Of course, if Swanson does fight the way Giga thinks he should, he’ll be prepared for that as well. Working with Kings MMA, Chikadze has a wealth of people to draw information from in the grappling department. He even might have a trick up his sleeve or two.
“I’m working hard on my wrestling. I have a couple of beautiful throws which I really want to do for this fight,” he said.
This fight will take place as the co-main event of UFC Vegas 25 this Saturday on ESPN 2.
Listen to the entire audio of this interview at 39:31.
