The UFC is close to finalizing a barn burner of a main event between Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze in January, multiple sources told ESPN.
Contracts have not been signed, but the UFC is working on booking the featherweight bout as its headliner for a UFC Fight Night on Jan. 15.
Kattar (22-5), of Massachusetts, hasn’t fought since he suffered a five-round decision loss to former champion Max Holloway in January. The 33-year-old is 6-3 overall in the UFC, with notable wins against Shane Burgos, Jeremy Stephens and Dan Ige.
Chikadze (14-2) is one of the division’s fastest-rising contenders at the moment. He is a perfect 7-0 since signing with the UFC 2019, and is coming off a sensational knockout of Edson Barboza in his first main event in August. Chikadze fights out of California, but represents his home country of Georgia in the Octagon.
Current featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski just defended the 145-pound championship last month by defeating Brian Ortega at UFC 266 in Las Vegas.
MMAJunkie first reported the Kattar-Chikadze matchup.