Edson Barboza vs. Giga Chikadze in works for UFC main event on Aug. 28

Undefeated in six octagon appearances, Giga Chikadze has his first UFC headlining opportunity.

MMA Fighting confirmed with sources with knowledge of the matchup that Chikadze (13-2) will face veteran contender Edson Barboza (22-9) in a featherweight bout that will serve as the main event of a UFC Fight Night on Aug. 28. The bout was first reported by ESPN.

A location for the Aug. 28 UFC show is still to be announced.

Barboza headlines a UFC card for a third time, his first since a lightweight bout against Justin Gaethje at a UFC on ESPN show in March 2019. The Brazilian star would later drop down to featherweight, where he is 2-1 with back-to-back victories over Shane Burgos and Makwan Amirkhani. Overall, Barboza sports a 16-9 UFC record.

Chikadze has defeated all six of his UFC opponents to date. He went 4-0 in 2020 and is coming off of consecutive first-round TKOs of Cub Swanson and Jamey Simmons. He has not lost since a failed Contender Series bid in June 2018.

Alexander K. Lee contributed to this report.