There are hardly any UFC fans who’d disagree that Giga Chikadze is one of the best current featherweight fighters in the world. There’s no doubt about that since he carries a 15-3 record. However, the fact that the Georgian star is also on a never-ending mission to fight against cancer, a disease that claims millions of lives every year, goes under the radar at times. To battle that disease, Chikadze offers special treatment to people in his own foundation.

There are a few fighters on the UFC roster, who have set up foundations for different causes, and Giga Chikadze is one of those esteemed gentlemen. But what was the reason behind his decision to start his own charity organization? Well, that decision primarily had to do with the loss of Chikadze’s “best friend” in his family.

All about ‘Knockout Cancer’: Giga Chikadze’s cancer foundation

The name of Giga Chikadze’s foundation, ‘Knockout Cancer’, was appropriately named since the Georgian is a combat sports athlete by profession. However, the real reason behind his decision to immerse himself in charity work took shape after ‘Ninja’ lost his mother, Nino, to cancer. “My mom was my best friend… I was 17 when I found out my mom had breast cancer,” Chikadze told the UFC in a YouTube video.

Giga Chikadze’s mother had an affinity towards books. This would also rub off on her son since he claims to have pursued his graduation due to her influence. Sadly, in 2013, the bad news arrived that the UFC star’s mother passed away. This prompted Chikadze to swiftly make way to get his work underway to support other cancer patients. That was when his foundation was established, in 2014, to be exact. Chikadze’s charity organization specializes primarily in providing funds for medical treatment, check-ups, and even expenses for rehab treatment.

Speaking to UFC.com, he said, “Pretty much whatever we had was from family, but a lot of other people were helping us because I was a fighter. This made me think that if somebody didn’t have anybody, any family or any celebrity in their family or something like this, how would they collect those finances?”

He continued, “Usually, we finance the medical bills and also, we support post chemotherapy and post-surgery processes, as well… Let’s say, to go to check again to go to the doctor or do an MRI or other procedures.”

The Georgian star knows that they are making a difference. Still, he sees this as baby steps to something much bigger. In 2021, he said, “We are hoping to multiply this more by hundreds and thousands in the future. I know that my fund isn’t really big yet, but I know for those people it was still big and I’m proud of it.”

As he envisioned, Giga Chikadze didn’t lose even a mark with his work through his charitable foundation. ‘Knockout Cancer’ has aided hundreds of patients since its inception, and it was all able to happen due to the UFC star’s earnings inside the Octagon and the revenue he earns through endorsements. Chikadze’s contributions to the families who needed some serious support did not go unnoticed as Dana White‘s promotion awarded him for his efforts.

‘Ninja’ gets awarded by the UFC

The UFC has a special award stored for fighters during Hall of Fame ceremonies. What does that award cater to? Well, it caters to people with significant contributions outside of the eight-sided cage known as the Octagon. This includes charity work and in 2022, Giga Chikadze emerged as the recipient of the ‘Forrest Griffin Community Award‘ for his work with ‘Knockout Cancer’. However, this appeared to surprise ‘Ninja’ because he wasn’t expecting that by any chance.

“When he [the UFC’s social media manager] called me and told me to turn on the TV to see the announcement, I was still in shock that the UFC picked me,” Giga Chikadze told the UFC after his win. The execs in Dana White’s promotion seem to celebrate the victories of their fighters outside of the Octagon, and for the featherweight star, that has been the case since 2014.

Turning over to the business side of things, Giga Chikadze will be taking on the surging Arnold Allen this weekend at UFC 304. He will be heading into the Co-op Live arena with a win under his belt while his opponent is desperate for a win after back-to-back losses. It remains to be seen who comes out on top on July 27.