Giga Chikadze defeated Brazilian Edson Barboza via third-round technical knockout in their featherweight main event at UFC Vegas 35 on Saturday night.

The referee ended the fight at 1:44 of the third round after the Georgian stunned Barboza with a punch and finished him off with a flurry on the mat. Chikadze paid tribute to thwarted foe after the fight.

Giga Chikadze scores impressive TKO win at UFC Vegas 35

“Shoutout to one of the best fighters ever, Edson Barboza. You motivated me, brother when I was a kickboxer,” he said.

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The victory was Chikadze’s third straight TKO. He improved his over record to 14-2 and has won seven straight to start his UFC run. Chikadze ended the bout with 70 total strikes to Barboza’s 33. Barboza dropped to 22-10 overall.

Chikadze’s notoriety has grown over his powerful Giga Kick, but he let it be known that’s not all he does.

“I’m not just a kicker guy, I kick the s— out of people,” Chikadze said afterward.

UFC Vegas 35 crowned two new Ultimate Fighters

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In an earlier bout, Bryan Battle was crowned The Ultimate Fighter season 29 middleweight champion by submission, over Gilbert Urbina in their tournament finale bout. Battle ended their fight with a rear-naked choke at 2:15 of Round 2. Urbina had been controlling to that point, including two takedowns and landing more strikes.

Other winners on the main card included new TUF season 29 bantamweight champion Ricky Turcios, Daniel Rodriguez, Andre Petroski, and Gerald Meerschaert.

Fight night bonus winners

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Fight of the night bonus: Ricky Turcios and Brady Hiestand

Performance bonus: Giga Chikadze, Gerald Meerschaert, Pat Sabatini and Abdul Razak Alhassan

–Field Level Media