Edson Barboza owns some of the most devastating, highlight-reel knockouts in UFC history. His spinning-wheel kick KO of Terry Etim in 2012 is one of the very best ever seen in MMA. Barboza is coming off a one-punch knockout of Shane Burgos at UFC 262 in May.
Giga Chikadze, meanwhile, is no slouch. He's an elite striker with vast experience in Glory Kickboxing. And he's coming off two straight knockouts, the most recent a body-kick KO of veteran Cub Swanson in May.
On Saturday, Barboza and Chikadze -- two of the very best stand-up artists in the UFC featherweight division -- will face off in the UFC Fight Night main event in Las Vegas. Expect fireworks, according to those in the know.
"That's a striker's delight there," Fortis MMA coach Sayif Saud said. "Does it get any better than that?"
The question, though, is who will come out on top? Barboza is an 11-year UFC veteran who fought the very best at lightweight before this current 2-1 run at featherweight. Chikadze is a surging prospect, a perfect 6-0 in the UFC.
ESPN asked some of the top coaches in the game to give us their predictions and analysis.
Editor's note: Content has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Tyson Chartier, New England Cartel coach
I'm going with Edson. I'm not sold yet on Giga. He's got one quality win over Cub Swanson, and that can be debated, too. Cub is a legend, but where is he at now? He's won just two of his last six. Giga got him with a body kick. OK, that happens. Other than that, you look at Giga's UFC fights, and his other opponents have a combined record of 5-5 in the UFC. He got to 5-0 in the UFC by facing Dana White's Contender Series guys. I think Giga is still untested. It's hard to pick someone like that against Edson Barboza.
Barboza has fought all the killers at 155 pounds. At 145, you could make the argument that he beat Dan Ige. The Burgos fight showed Barboza is legit at 145. It's hard to say Giga is on any kind of level with Edson Barboza right now. In kickboxing, sure. But this isn't kickboxing.
I don't think Barboza is going to be crafty enough to just walk through Giga's striking and finish him, though. I wouldn't be surprised if Barboza won by decision. I just think he'll be able to mix it up. I wouldn't be surprised if he clinches a little bit and mixes in some wrestling to keep Giga honest.
Eric Nicksick, Xtreme Couture MMA coach
It's really a coin flip fight. It's hard to really pick a side on this one. I got to corner Xtreme Couture coach Gil Guardado against Giga in Giga's first MMA fight. Gil beat him. Obviously, by nature our gym is a wrestling-heavy gym, but we knew immediately where we didn't want to be with Giga. But if this fight actually hits the mat for any reason, I'd be f---ing blown away picking Barboza. I think Edson should try to close the distance a little bit, even if it wasn't a takedown. Maybe just for a clinch. I think Edson is better there.
Giga is an orthodox-stance style fighter who can hit from both sides. When he finished Cub, he went left switch kick to the body, swung back into southpaw, threw a southpaw cross that moved the space away and then threw the same-looking kick and got Cub's hands down -- and then drilled the toes into the liver. What Giga does really well is switching stances in motion. He's not standing in front of you and all of a sudden he switches. He switches off of strikes and makes you guess where he's at.
I think to me where Edson might have problems is in that unconventional style, whereas Edson wants harmony, a more traditional Muay Thai fight. If I'm Giga's camp, what I would try to do is pull something unusual out of Edson. Get him to counter back with something and then utilize that to counter strike off of it. A striking chess match is where I have to favor Giga, because I feel like he has a little more tools when it comes to being able to change stances.
I'm going Giga by decision. If Edson actually implements an MMA skill set in this fight, he should win. If this turns into a pure striking match, of course Edson could win. He's one of the best strikers in the world. But I just think Giga has a little bit more.
Sayif Saud, Fortis MMA head coach
We haven't seen Giga fight the level of competition we've seen Edson fight. I still don't think that precludes him from being prepared. I think Giga has shown it. That kick he landed on Cub -- Cub is tough, man -- he snuck it right in there. That guy is really, really crafty. Edson has shown he can kind of get grinded on. If someone pushes the pace on him, he can get a little bit tired.
That being said, these guys have a similar style. They like to kick. If it ends up being at range, it's really a pick 'em fight. I really think so. Edson looked real polished against Shane Burgos. Burgos is so tough and he's really, really talented. And Edson looked sharp in that fight. The fact that he did that, I don't think you can take Edson lightly in this reinvented form. Just because Giga doesn't have that experience in the UFC, the guy's striking is lights out and he has one-shot power, too.
I think both guys are exceptional at kicking. They both have weapons to cancel each other out. They're both good kickers, right? So, because they're both kickers they're both going to understand how to defend kicks, too. It's going to be interesting. Look for hands, too. There's definitely going to be some boxing, someone is going to try and establish the jab. I expect to see different wrinkles from both camps.
I give Edson a slight advantage, because of the experience and how he looked against Burgos.
Eddie Cha, Fight Ready striking coach
It's two great kickers. It's a great matchup. It's going to boil down to footwork, boxing and maybe takedowns. The odds are pretty even. But I really think Barboza might run away with this one. I think Barboza will be so much faster. If it's going to be a kick contest, I think Barboza takes it. Giga has really good kickboxing. Barboza has tons of experience in MMA. I wouldn't even be surprised if Barboza mixed in some wrestling. Someone from a kickboxing background, you question how long they have been wrestling for. If I were Barboza's coach or putting his game plan together, even if it's a half-assed shot, it's something to put in his head to shut his offense down.
This is Chikadze's first five-round main event. Anybody who hasn't gone five, from my experience, they always try to hold their gas tank back a little bit. If I were Barboza, I would try to start fast and try to steal Rounds 1 and 2. Experience is big in a five-round fight. Barboza has five-round fights and a high quality of competition. Barboza has definitely been in a groove as well.
I think Barboza is 100% a contender at featherweight. His cardio is phenomenal. The age thing, if you still have a chin, you're OK. We haven't seen signs of him losing his chin at all. Shane Burgos can crack, so Barboza is battle-tested at 145. Burgos is one of the heavy hitters in the division. I definitely thought Barboza won the Ige fight, too. I think either Giga or Barboza could finish. That's a tough one. But I'll just go with a decision win for Barboza.