Calvin Kattar took the fight to Giga Chikadze on the feet from start to finish tonight at UFC On ESPN 32 and was rewarded with a convincing unanimous decision victory.
Round One:
Hard low leg kick from Chikadze to start. He lands it again heavily. A brief lull and now Kattar lands one of his own.
Kattar pressing forward, but Chikadze remains calm. Chikadze with a combination, working his kicks and punches, but then he stumbles off-balance for a moment off a kick and Kattar capitalizes by bursting forward and working a takedown.
Kattar in the center of the Octagon in half-guard. He lands a few body punches but is staying patient for now against the former kickboxer.
Chikadze gives up his back as he tries to stand, but then goes to his back again as he tries for a guillotine choke.
There’s a scramble and for a moment Chikadze seems to have managed to roll on top, but Kattar is working an arm triangle from his back and then uses that to transition on top again. Kattar trying to work some ground and pound now, but doesn’t quite connect as the round ends.
Round two:
Solid kick for Chikadze. Kattar looking to clinch up and Chikadze greets him with body punches and then a head kick attempt.
Kattar pressing forward, but then Chikadze lands solid punches upstairs. Body kick too for him. Kattar continues to pressure him though. Jabs from Kattar. Now a right hand.
Chikadze with a flurry, but is a bit off-balance as he does so. Exchange in close and Chikadze lands a knee to the body.
Jab for Chikadze and then a short flurry behind that. Hard jab for Chikadze. left hook for Kattar. Jabs from Chikadze. Now a solid body punch. Kattar seems a bit fresher at this stage though. Kattar attempts a takedown, but Chikadze defends that one.
KNee upstairs from Kattar. Right over the top from Chikadze. Kattar with an elbow strike. solid left hand from Chikadze.
jab for Chikadze but not with enough authority to stop Kattar pressing forward and landing a jab of his own.
Chikadze sticks three hard jabs. Then Kattar lands a spinning elbow that connects. Both men’s faces are increasingly reddened.
Chikadze with an elbow, punch and head kick. Kattar drives in for a takedown and gets it at the end of the round. Chikadze steps back up with a cut to his forehead.
Round Three:
Jab for Kattar. Both men throwing strikes but not finding their mark. jab for Chikadze. Kattar clinches up and tries hard to press him up against the cage, but Chikadze fights him off.
Jab for Chikadze. Elbow strike for Kattar. Another jab from Chikadze. One-two from Kattar. Hard right hand from Kattar.
Chikadze struggling to keep with Kattar’s pace despite his striking gifts. leg kick for Kattar. Right hand over the top from Chikadze. Sticking left hand from Kattar. Solid connection from Chikadze. He lands another stiff punch.
Kattar clinches up and thinks about a takedown against the cage, but Chikadze shakes him off. Kattar lands an elbow strike. Right hand for Chikadze.
Right and a left land for Chikadze, but without much venom behind them. Right hand for Chikadze and a counter punch from Kattar.
Kattar steps into a big right elbow. Uppercut now. High body kick from Chikadze. Jab for Kattar. Grazing right hand too. Left to the chin from Chikadze.
Chikadze steps into a punch but eats a blow from Kattar as he does so. Chikadze looking a bit wobbled for a moment.
leg kick from Kattar. He feels out with the jab. Chikadze fatigued but lands a right hand. Short flurry from Chikadze and a spinning elbow attempt from Kattar to end the round.
Round Four:
Left hands from kattar and then a harder counter punch comes back from Chikadze. More jabs from Kattar. Grazing right from him too.
Body kick for Chikadze. Now an attempt upstairs. Kattar pressing forward and works more jabs, but then eats a right hand from Chikadze.
Kattar attempts a takedown and Chikadze defends it. Elbow lands for Kattar. Leg kick from Chikadze as he’s being backed up.
Right hand for Kattar. Tired one-two from the bloodied Chikadze. Now Chikadze lands his jab and works a punch to the body too.
Uppercut from Kattar. He’s working off the jab for the most part though and continues to do so. Kattar in on a takedown attempt. He has a leg up here, but Chikadze manages to keep his balance and escape.
jab for Kattar. He attempts an elbow strike. Hard straight right from Chikadze. A right and a left from him, but not with as much power. Two chopping elbows from Kattar.
Jab for Chikadze. Elbows again from Kattar. Right hook from Chikadze. Body punch for him now. Kattar still constantly marching forward and keeping Chikadze fighting off the back foot.
Chikadze with a few hooks. Elbow for Kattar. Jumping knee from Kattar and a missed spinning kick as he continues to turn up the pressure.
Round Five:
Kattar tired in his corner between rounds, but Chikadze is exhausted. Five minutes to go.
Jab for Chikadze. Kattar works his own jab. Chikadze with a flurry of punches, but not finding the mark cleanly.
Chikadze does land a right hand. Glancing blows from Kattar. Right hook from Chikadze. Now a body kick. Kattar with a flurry of left and right hands.
Elbow strike from kattar and then another. Body kick from Chikadze. Now a body punch. He catches Kattar with a left hand as he comes forward.
Jab for Kattar. he lands elbows again. Chikadze with a right hand. Grazing right from Kattar. Flurry from Chikadze and Kattar retailiates with a spinning elbow.
Solid body kick from Chikadze. jabs and then a hard right hand from Kattar. Leading elbow. Two minutes remaining.
Body kick from Chikadze as Kattar lands one to the leg. Jabs and a right from Kattar. Good right for Kattar.
Solid jab from Chikadze. Two more jabs land. Now a spinning elbow lands. Chikadze eats it. Right hand for Kattar. left hook for Chikadze.
Elbow for Kattar. Front kick to the body from Chikadze. Body kick from him and tries to go upstairs with one too.
Kattar wades forward with huge elbows and bundles Chikadze to the mat, but can’t get a finish before the final bell.
Decision:
What a war then and it was Kattar who was constantly pressing forward and outworking his opponent with constant offense. Chikadze’s striking looked dangerous early, but his gas tank couldn’t keep up with Kattar and his power shots became few and far between later in the fight, though he showed excellent toughness and heart.
In the end it’s a dominant unanimous decision win for Kattar (50-45 x2, 50-44) as he gets back to winning ways and also ends Chikadze’s seven fight unbeaten run in the UFC.
