“Definitely. You guys are gonna see the best version, because I had some time to take off and recover, and this year, I already competed once. Even though I lost, it’s still good compared to not fighting, because when you don’t fight for a long time, then maybe you get a little extra excitement before the fight or something. So now it’s only couple of months after (that fight, and) I’m back again, doing my thing and enjoying the process.”
As he explained, a happy Chikadze is a dangerous Chikadze, and that, coupled with his motivation to defend his ranking and start moving back up the featherweight ladder, gives him plenty of confidence that he’ll emerge from Saturday night’s matchup with Vallejos with his arm raised in victory.
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“It’s always great to have an opportunity to step in the Octagon and do your thing,” he said.
“And I’ve been doing this all my life, you know? Since I was four or five years old, I’ve been training in martial arts and competing since I was six years old, so it’s definitely something in my blood. So I love doing it. And that’s probably the one of the biggest things that makes me happy.
“I step in the Octagon, and when I step out, my hand will be raised, my Georgian flag will be raised and will be happy going there and meeting my people.
“That’s how I imagine what’s going to happen in the Octagon. I’m going to leave it right there because I have a couple of different ideas. I’m a sniper, and I’m gonna be quietly waiting for the moment to finish the fight right there.”
