UFC Fight Night 225: Giga Chikadze vs Alex Caceres 08/26/2023 Fight Preview, Picks and Predictions

UFC Fight Night 225: Chikadze vs Caceres 08/26/2023 – Featherweight contenders Giga Chikadze and Alex Caceres square off in a three-round showdown on Saturday, August 26, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The match is part of the UFC Fight Night 225 main card that features Max Holloway and Chan Sung Jung in the main event. The match will affect the 145-pound rankings as both fighters are contenders in the division. Caceres, ranked 15th in the UFC featherweight class, is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Daniel Pineda to stretch his winning streak to two fights. Chikadze, on the other hand, comes back to the octagon, 19 months after losing to Calvin Kattar. Despite the outcome of their matches, Chikadze remains as a solid favorite among sports betting oddsmakers who keep tabs on exciting UFC clashes on TV and on the Internet.

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Main Card

Giga Chikadze

Chikadze (14-3, 7-1 UFC) was a bright prospect in the UFC, winning his first seven matches since debuting in the octagon on September 28, 2019. That includes Performance of the Night victories over Jamey Simmons, Cub Swanson and Edson Barboza. However, the Georgian fighter ran into a brick wall named Calvin Kattar, who shut him down in their five-round showdown in January 2022. After the loss, Chikadze was sidelined due to various injuries and underwent multiple surgeries. The hiatus lasted 18 months as he was not also fortunate to secure matches after his recovery from those injuries. He comes into the fight a bit rusty but is determined to regain lost ground and restore his status as one of the best featherweights in the land.

Stats wise, Chikadze has recorded 10 finishes (nine knockouts, one submission) in his career. The Georgian MMA fighter has landed an 42% of his significant strikes at an average of 4.05 strikes per minute. The 34-year-old has absorbed 3.35 strikes per minute and defended 62% of the punches and kicks that his foes attempted in his UFC career. Chikadze loves to engage in stand-up battles that he has executed less takedowns in his career. He averaged 0.26 takedowns per 15 minutes and his accuracy rate is 33%. He has successfully stopped 69% of the takedowns against him and his submission average is 0.26 per 15 minutes.

Alex Caceres

Caceres (21-13, 1 NC; 16-11, 1 NC) will appear in his 29th fight in the UFC as he seeks to gain another win to boost his rankings in the featherweight category. The Miami native is on a power surge lately, winning seven of his last eight fights. His last two victories against Julian Erosa and Daniel Pineda were so great he was awarded Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night bonuses, respectively. Caceres will fight for the second time in Singapore and he hopes to win again just like what he did six years ago. The American comes into the fight with a two-inch height disadvantage but he will have the edge in terms of conditioning as his last fight was two months ago.

Stats wise, Caceres has 11 finishes his 21 victories with four coming by way of knockout and seven submissions. The Miami native has landed an average of 4.16 significant strikes per minute at a 51% accuracy rate. He is excellent in defense as he has stopped 63% of the strikes against him and absorbed 2.87 significant strikes per minute. In terms of grappling, Caceres has recorded 68% successful takedowns and averaged 0.59 takedowns per 15 minutes. His takedown defense is also above average at 64% and has normed 0.73 submission attempts per 15 minutes.