Giga Chikadze fires back at ‘cheap f*ck’ Chan Sung Jung, promises to rebound from UFC on ESPN 32 loss

Giga Chikadze handled his loss to Calvin Kattar at UFC on ESPN 32 with the utmost grace – except when it came to one person.

Chikadze’s (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) perfect octagon run came to an end Saturday when he suffered a brutal unanimous decision loss to Kattar (23-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. His face was cut open and bloodied during the five-round Fight of the Night battle, and it halted all the momentum he’d built in previous wins.

One of the narratives coming into UFC on ESPN 32 centered around Chikadze’s push for a featherweight title shot if he got his hand raised. He wanted the promotion to see how his fight played out before announcing a replacement opponent for champion Alexander Volkanovski after Max Holloway fell out, but the UFC did not oblige and Chan Sung Jung was tapped as the new challenger at UFC 273 on April 9.

Chikadze took some shots at “The Korean Zombie” after he slid in, calling him an “easy task” for Volkanovski. So naturally, when Chikadze lost, Jung (17-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) took the chance to deliver a pot-shot of his own (via Twitter):

Chikadze, who displayed humility in the aftermath of his defeat by posing with Kattar for a photo at the hospital after a 25-minute scrap, showed a positive mindset on the heels of a difficult moment in his career. He promised to come back stronger, but couldn’t help but criticize Jung for reveling in his loss (via Instagram stories):

With the amount of damage he sustained in defeat, it might be a while before Chikadze makes his way back to the octagon for a fight. In the meantime, Volkanovski vs. Jung will play out at UFC 273.

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