5 Defining Moments: Chidi Njokuani

If Chidi Njokuani wants to make meaningful headway in the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division, now seems like as good of a time as any.

The 36-year-old muay thai stylist and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt will lock horns with Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in the UFC Fight Night 254 co-main event on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Njokuani steps back into the spotlight on the heels of back-to-back victories. He last appeared at UFC Fight Night 244, where he outstruck Jared Gooden to a unanimous decision in their three-round encounter on Oct. 12.

As Njokuani makes final preparations for his forthcoming showdown with Zaleski dos Santos at 170 pounds, a look at five of the many moments that have come to define him:

1. Top Gun

Njokuani excelled in prolonged clinch exchanges, weathered takedowns, connected with a series of body kicks and took a split decision from Max Griffin, as he captured the Tachi Palace Fights welterweight crown in the TPF 23 headliner on May 7, 2015 at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, California. All three judges scored it 49-46, two of them siding with Njokuani. Griffin seemed content to operate in close quarters while shooting for an occasional takedown. Njokuani stayed patient, created more favorable distance and did not waste opportunities when he got them. The younger brother of UFC and World Extreme Cagefighting vet Anthony Njokuani, he cracked Griffin with more than one body kick that might have felled lesser men. Griffin called upon his considerable fortitude to withstand those attacks but failed to curry enough favor with two of the three judges.

2. Short of the Mark

Former Bellator MMA welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov cut through Njokuani with punches and elbows in the first round of their Bellator 182 headliner on Aug. 25, 2017 at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York. The Alexander Shlemenko protégé brought it to a close 4:08 into Round 1. Njokuani attacked the Russian’s base with a series of powerful kicks to the lead leg but could not keep him at bay. Koreshkov knocked the onetime Tachi Palace Fights titleholder off-balance with a spinning backfist, swarmed with punches and uncorked a flying knee before securing the second of his two takedowns. From there, he moved to a dominant position and let fly with unanswered punches and elbows until referee John McCarthy waved it off.

3. Meal Ticket

Njokuani wiped out Mario Filipe de Sousa with a volley of third-round elbow strikes and nailed down a UFC contract during Week 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series on Sept. 7, 2021 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The end came 95 seconds into Round 3. Njokuani endured two low blows in the first round that resulted in a point deduction for his Brazilian adversary. Filipe de Sousa never seemed to find his footing. Njokuani excelled in open space, beat up the Caes do Ringue prospect in the clinch and flexed his superiority on the ground. The One Kick’s Gym export drove Sousa to the canvas with a series of knees to the body early in the third round, assumed a dominant position and activated his ground-and-pound. Punches eventually gave way to elbows and forced the stoppage.

4. Sudden Impact

Njokuani shined in his long-awaited Octagon debut and brought down Marc-Andre Barriault with punches in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 200 middleweight prelim on Feb. 5, 2022 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Barriault succumbed to blows just 16 seconds into Round 1. Njokuani maximized his time inside the cage. He sent a crisp jab crashing into Barriault’s face and followed it with a clubbing right cross that dropped the Kill Cliff Fight Club rep to his knees. Njokuani sprang into action on his fallen counterpart, let fly with a flurry of unabated left hands and forced referee Herb Dean to call for the stoppage.

5. A Spent Force

Onetime Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Gregory Rodrigues overcame a horrific horizontal cut between his eyes to put away Njokuani with punches in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 210 co-main event on Sept. 17, 2022 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Rodrigues drew the curtain 1:27 into Round 2. Njokuani walked the Brazilian into a brutal knee strike to the face in the first round—accompanied by an audible crack, the impact sliced opened a gash that stretched from one eye to the next—and swarmed for a possible finish, blood streaming from the wound. Rodrigues refused to back down, returned fire and eventually hurt the Sergio Penha disciple with right hands, clinch uppercuts and elbows. Njokuani had little left in the tank at the start of Round 2. Rodrigues bullied him to the canvas, postured in a kneeling position and let his hands go until the job was done.