When Njokuani earned a UFC contract with a third-round stoppage win over Mario Sousa on DWCS last season, you knew the seasoned veteran was going to be a quality addition to the middleweight division. After all, this wasn’t some inexperienced youngster getting added into the 185-pound mix — Njokuani arrived with 28 fights and 20 wins under his belt — yet what he’s done thus far has already been eye-opening.
In his February debut, “Chidi Bang Bang” needed just 16 seconds to dispatch Marc-Andre Barriault, a former two-division champion under the TKO banner in Quebec who entered on a two-fight winning streak and unbeaten in his last three. One shot put him on the mat and from there it was academic.
Three-and-a-half months later, the 33-year-old veteran collected a second straight knockout and a second consecutive Performance of the Night bonus for his late first-round finish of Dusko Todorovic. His veteran savvy and sharpness was on display throughout and he ended the bout by showing why coaches and analysts frequently shout about striking out of the clinch, leveling the Serbian hopeful with a vicious elbow that he never saw coming as the two disengaged in space.
Saturday night, he looks to go 3-for-3 in the UFC in a clash with fellow finisher Gregory Rodrigues that is dripping with post-fight bonus potential.
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Since failing in his bid to land a UFC contract on Season 4 of Dana White’s Contender Series, “Robocop” is 5-1 with four finishes, including three wins in four Octagon appearances. Last time out, the Brazilian collected some extra pocket change after putting it on Julian Marquez, and there is a real strong likelihood that one or both of these men will leave Las Vegas with extra cash in hand when the weekend is out.
If that happens to be Njokuani — and it very well could be — he’ll put himself in the mix not only Newcomer of the Year honors, but also Fighter of the Year honors, as not many others have managed three wins so far this year.
A third straight finish would make his case even more compelling.