Giga Chikadze returned to action for the first time in eleven months when he faced off with Arnold Allen to kick off the UFC 304 main card in Manchester, England on Saturday.
The Georgian featherweight looked to build upon his recent victory over Alex “Bruce Leeroy” Caceres, while Allen sought to bounce back from back-to-back losses to Max Holloway and Movsar Evloev.
Chikadze came out firing on all cylinders, pressing the action while throwing a variety of kicks in Allen’s direction. Allen’s defense was sound, however, reading the attacks coming his way and countering with a few significant strikes of his own.
Chikadze landed a ferocious flying knee in the waning second of the first round, though Allen would answer with a front kick to the chin of his opponent to close out the frame.
The second round was fairly even throughout, though Allen seemed to land the crisper and more powerful blows as the round came to a close. The fight was one round a piece after 10 minutes of action.
The Georgian featherweight utilized movement to evade much of Allen’s offense, however Chikadze would begin to fade during the third and final round. Allen managed to cut off the cage and land punches in bunches, ultimately securing the third round and a unanimous decision victory as a result.
Following a big win in Manchester, Allen will look to continue his climb through the featherweight rankings, as he hopes to secure a top-five opponent his next time out, perhaps in the form of “El Pantera” Yair Rodriguez.
“We asked for Yair Rodriguez, we asked for Brian Ortega, and those fights didn’t happen (yet),” Allen said to Daniel Cormier in his post-fight interview.
As for Chikadze, it’s back to the drawing board, where he’ll look to improve upon this performance and make some necessary adjustments after suffering defeat in two of his last three bouts.
Official Result: Arnold Allen def. Giga Chikadze by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
