Injuries are part and parcel of having a job as an MMA fighter. As such, featherweight star Giga Chikadze, who’s fighting this weekend, is no stranger to such setbacks. There was this one injury he suffered a few months back that made him pull out of a fight that was scheduled for the final pay-per-view of 2023, UFC 296.

In 2022, even though it was a successful year, it was a limited one for Giga Chikadze because he competed just once. He could have fought twice the next year, but an untimely injury ruined his chance to fight at UFC 296 against a credible and exciting opponent. Let’s take a deeper look at the injury situation.

Giga Chikadze out of UFC 296 because of a groin injury

‘Ninja’ found himself paired against Josh Emmett to fight at the last PPV of 2023, UFC 296. Reports claimed that his withdrawal happened because of an injury he sustained during training. Giga Chikadze shared footage of the exact moment in training when he appeared to be in pain after throwing a kick, holding his groin region, and groaning in pain.

What does Josh Emmett do then? Fortunately, he did not lose out on fighting at UFC 296 because Giga Chikadze was replaced by Bryce Mitchell. This decision received mixed reactions from fans online, but guess what? The fight did not fail to create a memorable moment because Emmett knocked out the 29-year-old in under two minutes of the first round.

While talking to the media ahead of his UFC 304 fight, Giga Chikadze claimed that he would have been “in a different position” if he hadn’t been injured before UFC 296. However, he’s laser-focused on fighting Arnold Allen, who’s a top contender himself. But did you know there was another injury, which was rather serious?

Another brutal injury in Chikadze’s career

Months before that groin injury, Giga Chikadze’s career in MMA was uncertain. The Nevada Athletic Commission revealed that their medical evaluations on the Georgian star detected a serious brain injury. However, there was no clear information as to when that injury occurred, and for many months, ‘Ninja’ was barred from competing in the state of Nevada, the home base of the UFC.

Regardless, things turned out positively for the 15-3 star because after undergoing a few more tests with the commission, Chikadze was finally cleared to compete again. Jeff Mullen, executive director of NAC, stated, “Giga Chikadze had a serious head injury… He did go through serious medical tests. He was cleared and his suspension was lifted,” to ‘MMA Junkie’.

The executive director also revealed an important rule that athletes competing in that particular state should keep an account of. “Any time we have an application for a license with a combatant that has had a serious head injury, every time they have to be licensed from here forward, they have to come before the commission for approval,” Mullen added.

The upcoming fight for Giga Chikadze has a lot on the line as both he and Arnold Allen are fighting to get into the title scene. Who do you has more chances of winning the fight this weekend? Drop your predictions below.