Rivalries: Christos Giagos

Christos Giagos tends to run hot and cold but manages to keep his head above water in the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division.

The former Tachi Palace Fights and Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion will seek to improve upon a 6-6 record inside the Octagon when he meets Daniel Zellhuber in a featured UFC Fight Night 227 attraction on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Giagos has won five of his past eight bouts. The 33-year-old Californian last appeared on April 22, when he needed just 95 seconds to punch out onetime World Series of Fighting titleholder Ricky Glenn at UFC Fight Night 222. It was the second-fastest finish of his 30-fight career.

As Giagos creeps toward his looming battle with Zellhuber at 155 pounds, a look at a few of the rivalries that have helped chart his course to this point:

Sevak Magakian

Giagos captured the vacant Tachi Palace Fights lightweight championship when he dispatched Sevak Magakian with a triangle choke in the first round of their TPF 19 headliner on June 19, 2014 at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, California. The end came 4:45 into Round 1. A short-notice fill-in for Cain Carrizosa, Giagos made the most of an unexpected opportunity. He brutalized Magakian’s body, freed himself from repeated leglock attempts and wore down “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 12 alum with punches. The steady punishment eventually took its intended toll. A weary Magakian moved into top position, only to find himself entangled in a triangle choke. His situation went from dire to downright hopeless in a matter of moments, and the tapout followed soon after. It was Giagos’ first taste of gold as a professional.

Gilbert Burns

The four-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion subdued Giagos with a first-round armbar as part of the UFC 179 undercard on Oct. 25, 2014 at Maracanazinho Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro. Burns closed the deal 4:57 into Round 1, improving to 9-0 in the process. Giagos failed to bridge the talent divide in what turned into an unsuccessful promotional debut. Burns struck for a takedown and climbed to full mount twice before settling on his counterpart’s back with a body triangle. Giagos tried unsuccessfully to free himself, leaving a limb exposed during a scramble. Burns exploited the opening, bit down on the armbar and hyperextended the elbow for the finish. The setback snapped a four-fight winning streak for Giagos.

Mizuto Hirota

Giagos nailed down perhaps the highest-profile victory of his career when he took a unanimous decision from former Deep, Sengoku and Cage Force champion Mizuto Hirota in their UFC Fight Night 142 lightweight prelim on Dec. 1, 2018 at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Adelaide, Australia. Scores were 29-28, 29-27 and 30-28. Hirota struggled to gain a foothold in the match. Giagos dropped the Japanese veteran to a knee with a right hand in the first round, swarmed with follow-up punches and executed a takedown before applying heavy ground-and-pound. The Black House rep also controlled much of the middle stanza, only to have fatigue provide Hirota with a window of opportunity in Round 3. There, the Japanese veteran assumed top position, advanced to side control and ultimately achieved full mount. Unfortunately for Hirota, time was not on his side, and an exhausted Giagos managed to survive the final 10 seconds.

Thiago Moises

The American Top Team mainstay flexed his superiority as a 3-to-1 favorite and took care of business against a fellow former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion when he put away Giagos with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their UFC on ESPN 38 lightweight feature on June 25, 2022 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Moises drew the curtain 3:05 into Round 1. The Brazilian closed the distance almost immediately, wading through considerable fire as he did so. Moises clinched, wheeled behind Giagos and jumped to his back and secured his position with a body triangle while the two men were still standing. He then cut loose with short punches to the head and zeroed in on the neck, as he cinched a one-arm guillotine, tightened his squeeze and produced the tapout.