Joanderson Brito has finished opponents in all but one of his seven UFC wins—not to mention a Contender Series decision victory over future two-time title challenger Diego Lopes—and expects his UFC 331 clash with Giga Chikadze to be the one to finally get him over the hump.
Brito faces off with the former GLORY kickboxer 0n the preliminary portion of the Los Angeles card on Saturday, looking to extend his winning streak to three and insert his name in the conversation of future contenders in the 145-pound division. Meanwhile, Chikadze attempts to snap a three-fight losing skid to Arnold Allen, David Onama, and Kevin Vallejos.
“I have to respect him because he’s been in the organization for a long time, he’s been in the rankings for a long time and he’s already fought the best guys,” Brito told MMA Fighting, “But, like everything in life, there’s a beginning, a middle, and an end. I believe the UFC is renewing its roster of athletes, and it’s a new era. I’m just getting here now—even though I’m already going to be here for five years, it feels like it was yesterday—I still feel like I’m just arriving in the organization. I’m still looking for my place.”
Brito feels the promotion is offering this matchup so he can build his name off of Chikadze, especially as the 38-year-old Georgian enters the octagon on the worst run of his MMA career.
“I believe the UFC said, ‘Here you go. He’s not doing very well right now, but he’s a veteran. Now you have to show your value. Here’s your gateway into the rankings,’” Brito said. “I’m very happy about this new challenge. … I don’t feel any kind of pressure. I’m very happy about this fight. I believe the UFC is saying, ‘Here’s the guy. Now go make a name for yourself.’ That’s it. I’m going to make my name.”
Chikadze has only been finished twice in MMA, a recent knockout against Vallejos and a 2018 Contender Series submission defeat to Austin Springer. The Chute Boxe talent believes he has the skill set to secure the stoppage in both areas.
“I believe I can knock him out or submit him at any moment,” Brito said. “As everyone knows, it’s no secret that my first and second rounds are very strong, but I can also take the fight into the third round and maintain a very strong pace. But my focus is to finish the fight before the end of the third round.”
A finish in Los Angeles could secure Brito a spot in the featherweight rankings, but that’s not what he’s most focused on at the moment. For the Brazilian talent, being more active is the No. 1 priority right now.
“The only thing I care about in the organization is getting mileage,” Brito said. “My only focus is getting mileage, always fighting. I would really like to be more active in the organization. People talk a lot about staying active, but since I’ve been in the UFC, I’ve only fought twice a year, but that’s not because of me. If it were up to me, I would definitely fight three or four times a year. I believe there’s still time to have one more fight before the end of the year, so I’m very happy about that.”
According to Brito, the reason why he hasn’t fought that much in the UFC is because “of athletes not being willing to accept the fights” against well-rounded fighters like himself.
“There are very few guys who want to take those fights,” Brito said. “I don’t focus much on the rankings. I don’t really care about that. I believe I should have been ranked a long time ago, especially because practically all of my fights in the UFC have ended inside the distance. I was coming off five straight wins, all of them by stoppage, and then I had a setback along the way and came back again. I went to No. 14 in the rankings, then there was a new update and I went to No. 15, and now I’m out of the rankings again. But I’m not really a guy who cares about that. What I really want is to stay more active in the organization, fighting and putting on good fights for the fans.”
For that reason, Brito stays open-minded going into UFC 331 with no name set in stone for a post-fight callout. However, he is interested in facing off with David Onama later this year. The 32-year-old hasn’t competed since November of 2025, when Steve Garcia knocked him out to end his four-fight winning streak.
“I think David Onama would be a good name at the moment,” Brito said. “He’s a tall, versatile guy, he does everything but doesn’t really excel at anything, and he’s in the rankings. If I had to ask for someone today, maybe it would be him. But it’s nothing like that, it could be anyone.”
“I think I would knock him out or submit him,” he added. “Actually, I believe I can knock out or submit most of the guys in the rankings. I always have that mindset. I don’t see myself winning many fights by decision. I believe that against anyone, at any moment, I can knock them out or submit them.”
