The octagon debut of Giga Chikadze was a rollercoaster of emotions, as he went from thinking he had battled to a draw, to ultimately being declared the victor.
At the conclusion of three rounds of featherweight action against Brandon Davis (10-8 MMA, 2-5 UFC) on Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 18, the result was announced as a split draw at Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark.
It was a puzzling outcome as the overwhelming majority had the fight for Chikadze (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC). Minutes later, though, Chikadze was delivered the news that the scores had initially been added incorrectly, and he’d actually won the fight via split decision.
“I was getting checked up with the doctor when (UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby) came and told me I had won,” Chikadze said on the UFC on ESPN+ 18 broadcast. “It was a tough fight. Hats off to my opponent. Such a great fight, such a lion heart, and I appreciate this fight, and I think we gave an amazing show to the Denmark people.”
Although it would have been nice for Chikadze to get that moment of triumph inside the octagon with the world watching, it didn’t pan out that way. He wasn’t frustrated or upset, though, because at the end of the day he leaves his first UFC appearance with a full paycheck.
“I thought I was going to get the win inside the cage, but a win is a win,” Chikadze said. “What can I say?”
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