Sanikidze lashes out at Tichota and Keita: I can beat that little Barbie, Keita is not the best athlete even among his namesakes. How does he perceive the Octagon?

Mate Sanikidze has only been in the Octagon for a short time, but he will fight for the title on December 3 in Ostrava at OKTAGON 37. His opponent will be Jakub Tichota. In an interview with Ruik, the Georgian fighter talked about his career, his relationship to Oktagon, the title fight and his future.

Sanikidze did not have an easy start to his career

Mate Sanikidze was born in Georgia. And that’s also where he started his martial arts career:: “I was just a teenager when I started. I tried different sports, football, basketball and so on, but I found myself in combat sports and then I got into MMA.”

Now, the 23-year-old has a solid 8-2 record, only he hasn’t fought between 2019 and 2021. There has been a lot of talk about how his career will continue. He had two losses in a row and there was no telling what was next.

“After those two losses, I realized that I had to change my team, my trainer, my manager and everything in general. It was very difficult in Georgia. Eventually, I transferred to Champions Academy, I met Rati Chakvetadze, my current coach, who helped me a lot to continue my career at all,” Ruik expressed.

After the break came two winning matches in Georgia and eventually Sanikidze met his current manager Marjan Macic. “He changed everything, helped me get into the Octagon,” he says.

Oktagon is the best organization in Europe for me, admits Sanikidze

Oktagon is a big brand in Europe today, at least. And Mate Sanikidze himself sees it as such. “I knew it before, but I never dealt with Oktagon before. I had no chance to get into the organization outside Georgia,” he revealed.

Everything was made possible by the aforementioned manager Marjan Macic. “He made it easy. A few things were sorted out and I managed to get into the Octagon. For me, along with Cage Warriors, it is the best organization in Europe,” the Georgian is clear.

“I’ve seen many times that the Octagon has great events with a great atmosphere. That was evident. But when I signed here, I was surprised in a good way how it manages to make MMA events like a show outside the cage. The fans are amazing, whether they’re against you or not. Theyapplaud you after the fight, which I appreciate,” he added.

Sanikidze took a dig at both Keita and Tichota. What does he expect from the title match?

Mate Sanikidze impressed fans with his specific fighting style after entering the Octagon. He defeated Aleksandar Kolontay and David Moon, and now, thanks to an injury to Ivan Buchinger, he will face Czech talent Jakub Tichota.

Jakub Tichota said in a recent interview with Ruik that he doesn’t want to lose. In it, he also responded to the trash-talking that the Georgian fighter is presenting himself with. And now, in addition to Tichota, the Georgian also took a dig at Losene Keita.

“I don’t care who he puts in front of me. Whether it’s old Buki, little blonde Barbie (Tichota – ed. note), or whoever is not even the best Keita in the sport. It’s sad not to be the best in the sporting environment even among people with the same last name. I know they have never felt Georgian power in their career, so they should be afraid,” Sanikidze warns.

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What does he even think of Tichot? “He’s a nice dude, but I expect to see fear in his little eyes,” he responded tersely.

However, he wouldn’t talk about tactics for the game:: “It wouldn’t be right. You never know what the fight will offer you, so we’ll see.”

Future plans? I have to beat little Barbie first, he doesn’t get ahead of himself

A title fight is a big milestone for any fighter. Often it can be the defining moment that determines the direction of an entire career. And that’s how Mate Sanikidze sees it.

“Winning the title of the organization you’re in is the main priority. It means everything to me. Itwill be my first big achievement in my career,” he admits the importance of his upcoming fight.

He doesn’t want to talk about other fights for now. ” First I have to beat that little Barbie on December 3 to win the title.”

And what about future plans? “As a fighter, I have no dreams. I only have goals that I want to achieve. Like every fighter, I have a plan to be the best. I want to be the best of the best. It doesn’t matter at what age I achieve it. Whether it’s at 23, 33 or 43. When you have a goal, you have to achieve it,” Sanikidze concluded the interview.

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