Jeremy Stephens verbally agrees to fight Giga Chikadze following UFC Vegas 13

UFC featherweight Jeremy Stephens has verbally agreed to fight Giga Chikadze following his big KO win over Jamey Simmons at UFC Vegas 13.

Chikadze picked up an impressive head kick KO win over Simmons on the main card of UFC Vegas 13. It was Chikadze’s fifth win in the UFC and upped his record to a perfect 5-0 in the Octagon, earning him a $50k bonus for “Performance of the Night.” Following the win, Chikadze took his post-fight interview to call out the veteran featherweight Stephens, who was originally set to fight Arnold Allen on this card before pulling out with an injury.

Well, it appears as though Stephens will be ready to go again soon. “Lil Heathen” took to Twitter on Saturday night following Chikadze’s callout and said he accepts the challenge.

Nice fight @giga_chikadze I accept for December buttcheeks let’s go @ufc

— Jeremy Stephens (@LiLHeathenMMA) November 8, 2020

Nice fight @giga_chikadze I accept for December buttcheeks let’s go @ufc

It’s always nice when the fighters make the UFC matchmakers’ jobs easy. This matchup between Stephens and Chikadze sells itself. Both fighters are primarily standup fighters who prefer to stand and bang for the fans. Stephens is the gatekeeper to the top-10 of the UFC featherweight division and that’s what Chikadze is trying to break into right now.

Considering Chikadze hasn’t even broken into the top-15 yet, the fact he was able to attract the attention of a coveted top-10 ranked opponent is huge for him. This is an opportunity for Chikadze to bypass a slow build into the top-15 rankings. If Chikadze was able to take out Stephens, he should take his spot in the top-10. It seems like Stephens would have more to lose than to gain with this fight, but then again, he never turns down fights.

Do you hope to see the UFC book Jeremy Stephens against Giga Chikadze, or would you prefer another matchup?