Barboza vs Chikadze main event picks & value bets – UFC Vegas 35

Edson Barboza and Giga Chikadze are set to meet in the main event of UFC Vegas 35 this Saturday night. Barboza and Chikadze are both ranked in the bottom half of the top 10 in the UFC’s featherweight rankings, and a victory in this bout should earn the winner a fight against a top-five opponent in the division.

Barboza vs Chikadze fight preview

Edson Barboza (22-9-0) has rejuvenated his career in the featherweight division. The former lightweight went 1-4 over his last five fights in the lightweight division before dropping to featherweight in 2020. Barboza had a respectable showing in a split decision loss to Dan Ige in his first featherweight bout and has since picked up back-to-back wins by decision over Makwan Amirkhani and by knockout over Shane Burgos. A win over a rising star like Giga Chikadze would solidify Barboza as a legitimate contender in his new division.

Chikadze (13-2-0) would have preferred to face a high-ranked opponent in this fight, but he’ll earn that chance with a win here. The Georgian is 8-0 over his last eight professional fights including a 6-0 start to his UFC career. After earning his first four victories by decision, Chikadze has won each of his last two fights against Jamey Simmons and Cub Swanson by knockout.

Barboza vs Chikadze betting predictions

This is going to be an all-out war. Edson Barboza and Giga Chikadze do not go for takedowns. Both are elite strikers that will be comfortable trading blows in the center of the octagon. With five rounds to work with, this is going to be a battle of attrition as both Barboza and Chikadze are going to throw and land plenty of strikes. This fight is as well made and as evenly-matched as the betting odds suggest; it could easily go either way, and the winner will be the one who lands a timely strike first or is able to execute their gameplan well enough to control the tempo.

We lean towards Barboza ever so slightly. When his low leg kick is on, Barboza can do major damage and keep his opponent at bay. This weapon, along with his experience in big fights against elite opponents, should give the veteran Brazilian the slight edge in this fight. But don’t be surprised if all of Barboza’s plans go out the window with one big body kick from Chikadze. This is going to be a fun one.