UFC Vegas 46 went down Saturday in Las Vegas — kicking off the promotion’s 2022 with a key strawweight fight.
That bout saw the surging Giga Chikadze up against the durable Calvin Kattar. It was a fight set to answer several questions: was Giga ready to step into the title picture, something that a victory would almost certainly afford? Did the year off after a sound drubbing by Max Holloway allow Kattar to shore up his game, not to mention heal up, and return as good as ever?
Frankly, by the time the card arrived, anyone watching was probably less interested in specific questions and simply happy the event had held together period. A run of last minute withdrawals, cancellations, and postponements had the event under fire in the days leading up to the show. It lost its co-main event when Michael Pereira’s original opponent dropped out; COVID protocols meant a fight against replacement Andre Fialho had to be pushed back. Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Silvana Gomez Juarez was rescheduled, as was Joaquin Buckley vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan. Kevin Croom and Charles Rosa both stepped into the card on just days’ notice.
Nevertheless, UFC Vegas 46 finally arrived on Saturday. Following the event, tune in for the post-fight press conference. A live stream is available above.
