Las Vegas — Two years ago, UFC featherweight Giga Chikadze received the Forrest Griffin Community Award during the 2022 UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
This year, it was teammate Beneil Dariush receiving that same honor, which recognizes the charitable efforts of UFC fighters. Chikadze, who has a fight with Arnold Allen booked for UFC 304, was on hand, noting that it’s an experience fighters don’t often get.
“It feels so different, so great. Because the fighters, we don’t really get to experience this a lot,” Georgia’s Chikadze (15-3) told media outlets including Cageside Press at this year’s Hall of Fame ceremony. “But I’ve been blessed to be here almost every year now. A good feeling, different atmosphere, and definitely something that is going to stay in history.”
Chikadze is looking to build on a win over Alex Caceres later this month in Manchester, and is 8-1 overall since joining the UFC.
“Camp is going great. Finally I’m without injury, injury free. Beneil has been helping me a lot, he stepped up in my camp, and he’s one of the best southpaws in the game,” Chikadze said regarding his preparations. “I’m really blessed to have him as a teammate, a brother and friend. We’re doing a lot of training together. I can call him anytime, even 4AM, as I’m fighting in Manchester, and he’s down to train.”
Much has been made of when the UFC 304 card will go down, in the wee hours of the morning local time in Manchester, to accommodate viewers across the pond. While some might see that as a disadvantage, Giga Chikadze has a different take.
“It is a disadvantage for some people; I can use it as an advantage for me. I live in California, I train there, my hard training sessions are unique times. So this transitions for me perfectly, I’m going to try to arrive as late as I can, take business there, and fly somewhere else to travel. Hopefully it’s not going to affect my cardio or something like timing. I don’t think it’s going to be a big issue, because I’m going to go there, sleep in the day time, go hit the club, get a couple of shots in and go take [care of] business after.”
When it comes to the match-up with #6-ranked Arnold Allen, “Arnold is a great opponent,” Chikadze stated. “I’m glad he’s ranked higher than me, so this can take me somewhere I belong.”
Watch the full 2024 UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony media scrum with Giga Chikadze above.
