Giga Chikadze is out of his featured prelim bout against Josh Emmett at UFC 296 on December 16. “Ninja” suffered a torn groin in training and has been forced out of the fight altogether.
Chikadze broke the news on December 5, sharing a video of his training injury to his social channels:
“S*** happens! Torn groin! I’ll be back soon!” Chikadze announced.
Unfortunately for Chikadze, he will face another extended break after coming back from his one-year absence following his defeat to Calvin Kattar in 2022. A win over Emmett would have propelled Chikadze into the title picture, alongside Ilia Topuria. Now Emmett is either facing the possibility of the fight being canceled or a last-minute replacement opponent.
Giga’s Out ❌–
Who’s ready Dec 16th? #UFC296
— JOSH EMMETT (@JoshEmmettUFC) December 4, 2023
On December 4, former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling took to Twitter to acknowledge Emmett’s predicament and expressed his willingness to step in as a short-notice replacement:
Aljamain Sterling on Twitter / X
Given Sterling’s status as a former champion, and Emmett’s top-10 ranking, a victory for “The Funk Master” would practically guarantee a title fight against the winner of Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria in February 2024.
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