UFC on ESPN 32: Kattar vs. Chikadze Odds, Schedule, Predictions

After nearly a month off the UFC will set up the Octagon once again at the Apex Facility in Las Vegas for a card headlined by Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze. 

The main event pits the rising Chikadze against a veteran contender in the division in Kattar. Chikadze has made a name for himself with a perfect 7-0 run in the UFC since joining in 2019 but Kattar has proven to be a tough out in the division. 

It's a classic prospect vs. veteran matchup and Kattar isn't going to just let Chikadze easily make a name for himself with a win. 

In the co-main event, we get a fun heavyweight matchup between two heavyweight looking to establish some momentum in Jake Collier and Chase Sherman.

Here's a look at the whole card and a preview of the biggest fights. 

Main Card (ESPN, ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

• Calvin Kattar (+205) vs. Giga Chikadze (-255)
• Jake Collier (-135) vs. Chase Sherman (+115)
• Rogerio Bontorin (+135) vs. Brandon Royval (-155)
• Katlyn Chookagian (-200) vs. Jennifer Maia (+170)
• Viacheslav Borshchev (N/A) vs. Dakota Bush (N/A)
• Bill Algeo (+115) vs. Joanderson Brito (-135)

Prelims (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)

• Joseph Holmes (-155) vs. Jamie Pickett (+135)
• Ramiz Brahimaj (-120) vs. Court McGee (+100)
• Kevin Croom (N/A) vs. Brian Kelleher (N/A)
• TJ Brown (-250) vs. Charles Rosa (+200)

Odds via DraftKings. 

From a marketing standpoint, the main event serves one primary purpose. It should give us a good insight into what exactly is Chikadze's ceiling. The Georgian fighter is on a nine-fight win streak and seemingly gets better every time out. 

When his winning streak in the UFC started, it was with a couple of split decision wins over unknowns in the UFC. , his wins over Omar Morales and Irwin Rivera were a bit more convincing. However, his last three have all come by way of TKO, including a third-round knockout of Edson Barboza. 

The result has been three-straight Performance of the Night bonuses. However, Barboza is the only ranked fighter that he has a win over. 

Kattar is a legitimate ranked fighter who isn't at the end of his career. His most recent losses have come against Max Holloway and Zabit Magomedsharipov. One is an elite former champion and the other has championship potential if he can be active enough. 

The striking should be heavy in this one. Kattar is a strong boxer and has top-tier toughness. Chikadze is a skilled kickboxer with obvious stopping power. 

Chikadze's well-rounded striking approach could open the door for him to win most of the exchanges but his willingness to stick to the gameplan and fight for five rounds will be tested. 

Prediction: Chikadze via decision

The heavyweight co-main event is less about one fighter trying to get hype and a title shot and more about each trying to survive. Both fighters are in their 30's and battling to remain relevant. 

Jake Collier has a pretty unique career arc. He started his UFC career in 2014 as a middleweight. After staying right around .500 he made the move up to light heavyweight. He went 1-1 at 205 pounds with a unanimous decision victory over Marcel Fortuna and proceeded to move up to heavyweight. 

Regardless of weight class, Collier has alternated wins and losses since entering the organization in December 2014. 

Sherman is on his second UFC stint. His first ended on a three-fight losing streak. He's in danger of putting together another one of those. His last two fights have resulted in losses to Parker Porter and Andrei Arlovski. 

Neither could be considered highly skilled assassins but both love to throwdown. This should be a fun series of ham-fisted exchanges. While neither has devastating knockout power, Sherman does have a nice kicking game to complement his boxing. 

That could be the difference in what could be a three-round affair that features some huffing and puffing. 

Prediction: Sherman via decision

Tucked away on this card is a pretty important women's flyweight matchup. Both Katlyn Chookagian and Jennifer Maia have come up short against Valentina Shevchenko but remain among the top five in the division. 

The two will run back their 2019 fight in which "Blonde Fighter" scored a unanimous decision win. Chookagian may have the most generic nickname of all time and her style doesn't come with a lot of flair either, but it's effective. 

At 5'9" with a 68" reach, she has a long frame for the division and she knows how to use it. She's an effective kickboxer at range. Last time she fought Maia she utilized her jab and distance management to outstrike aher and earn a 29-28 decision on all three cards. 

The final round is what makes the rematch intriguing, though. Maia finally went to her wrestling and had control for just under two minutes per UFC Stats. 

Her greatest strength is her ability to mix up her grappling and striking which could be the key to getting a different result. 

Prediction: Maia via decision

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