Davis Out, Chikadze To Face Rivera At UFC On ESPN 8
The UFC’s latest event will be going through a last-minute change. Mike Davis is out of his bout this Saturday against Giga Chikadze. According to Adjara Sport, the reason for his removal is non-COVID-19 related.
Taking Davis’ place will be Titan FC Bantamweight Champion Irwin Rivera. On less than 48 hours notice, Rivera will get a chance to shine. He will be participating in his own separate weigh-ins so he can separate himself from others, per the UFC’s coronavirus testing rules. He posted the following on social media to confirm the news:
When the call comes…WE COMEEE!!!! 💯💪🏼🏆🇲🇽 TIME TO SHOW THE WORLD WHAT WE CAN DO. thank u to @AliAbdelaziz00 for quarterbacking this whole thing. Thank u @seanshelby @ufc Mi familia siempre and my ninjas going to war with me. Big respect to GiGa as well 💯🙏🏆🇲🇽 #LFG pic.twitter.com/nYMgdk85eY
— Irwin Rivera (@Beast144_1) May 15, 2020
Rivera (9-4) will be making his UFC debut. Living in Florida, traveling to the event wasn’t hard compared to most fighters. He is currently on a three-fight win streak, having fought in places like Combate Americas and Titan FC. Back in December, Rivera beat Danny Sabatello via knockout, his third win in a row via some form of knockout. During the streak, he captured the Titan FC Bantamweight Title
Chikadze (9-2) is on a four-fight win streak and is 2-0 in the UFC. His last fight was a split decision win over Jamall Emmers back at UFC 248 in March.
This fight will continue to take place on the prelims at 6 p.m. ET. UFC on ESPN 8 will be inside the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville on May 16. The main event will be Alistair Overeem v. Walt Harris.