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The Kings MMA export will put his nine-fight winning streak on the line when he meets Calvin Kattar in the UFC on ESPN 32 headliner this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Chikadze has compiled a perfect 7-0 record since he linked arms with the organization in 2019. He last appeared at UFC on ESPN 30, where he dispatched former Ring of Combat champion Edson Barboza with punches in the third round of their Aug. 28 main event. Kattar, meanwhile, has won two of his past three bouts. However, he finds himself on the rebound following an alarming decision defeat to Max Holloway—he absorbed a record 445 significant strikes across five torturous rounds—under the UFC on ABC 1 marquee a little more than a year ago.
As Chikadze and Kattar make final preparations ahead of their high-stakes affair at 145 pounds, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:
33: Years of age for Kattar, who was born on March 26, 1988 in Methuen, Massachusetts.
11: Kattar victories by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 50% of his career total (22). His list of victims includes Jeremy Stephens, Ricardo Lamas, Chris Fishgold and Shane Burgos. Kattar owns two other victories by submission and nine more by decision.
13: Calendar years in which Kattar has fought at least once. He went 3-0 in 2007, 2-1 in 2008, 3-0 in 2009, 2-1 in 2010, 2-0 in 2011, 1-0 in 2012, 1-0 in 2013, 2-0 in 2016, 1-0 in 2017, 2-0 in 2018, 1-1 in 2019, 2-0 in 2020 and 0-1 in 2021.
29: Seconds needed for Kattar to strike down Jonathan Bermudez with punches under the Combat Zone banner on Feb. 6, 2009. Having occurred more than a decade ago, it remains the fastest finish of his 27-fight career.
.707: Cumulative winning percentage between the five men—Holloway, Zabit Magomedsharipov, Renato Carneiro, Don Carlo-Clauss and James Jones—who have beaten Kattar. They boast a combined record of 82-34.
33: Years of age for Chikadze, who was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Aug. 25, 1988.
9: Chikadze wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 64% of his career total (nine). His list of victims includes the aforementioned Barboza, Cub Swanson and Jamey Simmons. Chikadze holds one other win by submission—he put away Clay Baines with an armbar in 12 seconds at a Gladiator Challenge event in August 2018—and four more by decision.
4: Sub-minute stoppage victories on the Chikadze resume. In addition to his 12-second rout of Baines, he punched out Anthony Ross in 10 seconds at Gladiator Challenge “Absolute Beatdown” on March 25, 2017, brought down Julian Hernandez with punches in 49 seconds at Gladiator Challenge “Summer Feud” on June 10, 2017 and struck Damien Manzanares into submission in 51 seconds at the Gladiator Challenge MMA World Championships on March 23, 2019.
108: Significant strikes by which Chikadze has outlanded the opposition in his seven UFC victories. He connected on 303 such strikes against Barboza, Swanson, Simmons, Omar Morales, Irwin Rivera, Jamall Emmers and Brandon Davis while absorbing only 195 in return.
1.15: Knockdowns per 15 minutes of UFC competition for Chikadze, placing him fourth on the promotion’s active featherweight list. He trails only Conor McGregor (2.31), Josh Emmett (2.21) and Doo Ho Choi (1.64).