Giga Chikadze vs. Joanderson BritoW
UFC 331 · September 19, 2026 · Crypto.com Arena · Early Prelims 5:30 PM ET
The brief
- The result
- Joanderson Brito by KO/TKO (ground and pound), R1
- What kind of fight
- Veteran striker vs. surging finisher
- Finish likelihood
- High
- The line
- Chikadze +319 · Brito -400Consensus (multiple sportsbooks)
- The stakes
- Featherweight · Early Prelims
The result
Joanderson Brito def. Giga Chikadze — KO/TKO (ground and pound), R1 1:57
Joanderson Brito extended his win streak to three, blasting out Giga Chikadze with first-round ground-and-pound.
Chikadze had the better of the early standup exchanges, but slipped while throwing a kick and Brito pounced, taking top position and finishing with hammerfists before the referee stepped in at 1:57 of round one.
Chikadze has now lost four straight, two of them by stoppage.
The breakdown below was written before the fight.
The read
Brito's activity and finishing instincts make him the pick after Chikadze's rough stretch, but a single clean strike from a striker of Chikadze's caliber can change any fight.
If Brito can mix in his grappling and avoid a pure firefight, his momentum should carry him; if this stays standing and Chikadze finds his range early, he has the power to snap his skid in dramatic fashion.
The matchup
Both featherweights bring real finishing pedigree to a bout with implications for where they land in the division picture.
Chikadze's kickboxing-honed striking has produced nine career knockouts, but he arrives on a three-fight skid, while Brito's well-rounded finishing rate and current two-fight win streak make him the man with momentum.
Tale of the tape
| 15-6 | Record | 19-5-1 |
| 38 | Age | 31 |
| 6'0" | Height | 5'8" |
| 74" | Reach | 72" |
| — | Stance | — |
| Georgia | Country | Brazil |
| Kings MMA | Team | Chute Boxe João Emilio |
The numbers
Career UFC averages. Red bar = statistical edge.
The fighters
Giga Chikadze 15-6
“Ninja”
Giga 'Ninja' Chikadze is a 38-year-old Georgian featherweight training at Kings MMA who built his striking around a decorated kickboxing background before transitioning to MMA. He has dropped three straight fights, two by decision and one by a highlight-reel spinning-backfist knockout loss to Kevin Vallejos in December 2025, and now looks to snap the skid against fellow finisher Joanderson Brito in Los Angeles.
- LKevin Vallejos · KO/TKO (spinning backfist)UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Kape · December 13, 2025
- LDavid Onama · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Machado Garry vs. Prates · April 26, 2025
- LArnold Allen · Decision (unanimous)UFC 304 · July 27, 2024
Joanderson Brito 19-5-1
“Tubarão”
Joanderson 'Tubarão' Brito is a 31-year-old Brazilian featherweight fighting out of Chute Boxe João Emilio, with 16 of his 19 career wins coming by finish, split evenly between knockouts and submissions. He has won back-to-back fights, a grinding decision over short-notice replacement Isaac Thomson and a first-round submission of Jordan Leavitt in June 2026, and now faces a veteran former title eliminator in Giga Chikadze.
- WJordan Leavitt · Submission (front choke)UFC Fight Night · June 6, 2026
- WIsaac Thomson · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Kape · December 13, 2025