UFC on ESPN 23 co-main event
On the night of Saturday to Sunday, May 2, the UFC will return to Las Vegas (Nevada, USA) to once again hold their tournament without spectators at the UFC Apex. In the main event of the UFC on ESPN 23 (or UFC Vegas 25) tournament, fans are expected to fight top light heavyweights. The fight will be broadcast live on Setanta Sports. Estimated start of the battle at 07:30 Kyiv time.
In the co-main event, 37-year-old featherweight veteran Cub Swanson will face the dangerous and hungry Giga Chikaze.
Swanson (27-11) has competed in Fight of the Night six times in the UFC and four more times in the WEC. In October 2019, he managed to save himself from being fired from the UFC by winning a unanimous decision over Kron Gracie, which brought Cub to a four-game losing streak. In December 2020, Swanson won for the second time in a row, knocking out Daniel Pineda in the second round.
In the past, a strong world-class kickboxer Chikaze (12-2) goes without losses in the UFC – 5 wins in 5 fights. The last year turned out to be very productive for the Georgian, as he had four fights from March to November. Jamall Emmers, Irvin Rivera and Omar Morales were all knocked out by him, while Jamie Simmons was knocked out by Giga in a round at UFC on ESPN 17 in November.
Prediction for the fight
Swanson is strong in all areas, he has a black belt in BJJ, good boxing and a powerful punch. Chikaze has a professional kickboxing record of 38-6 and is a black belt in goju-ryu karate. Chikaze is an excellent striker, but on the ground his skills leave much to be desired.
In the standing position, Swanson clearly loses to his opponent, and the Georgian defends well against passes to the legs. Chikaze must systematically beat the veteran in the standing position and win either by a late stoppage or a confident decision.
Chikaze win on points
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