Chidi Godson Njokuani (born December 31, 1988) is an American former

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

and current professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...

division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional MMA competitor since 2007, he also formerly competed for

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media cong ...

RFA RFA may refer to: Government and private organizations * Radio Free Asia, a private news broadcaster and publisher in East Asia, funded in part by the U.S. government * Renewable Fuels Agency, a former UK renewable fuel regulatory agency * Ren ...

, Tachi Palace Fights, and

Legacy FC In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...

Background

Chidi Njokuani was born to Nigerian parents in Dallas, Texas on December 31, 1988. His name "Chidi" means "God exists" in Igbo. He was introduced to Muay Thai by his older brother Anthony at the age of 10 and began competing at the age of 11. He was temporarily distracted from Muay Thai with skateboarding during his teenage years but eventually returned to fighting and discovered mixed martial arts at the age of 18.

Career

Kickboxing & Muay Thai

Turning professional in 2007 after around fifteen amateur Muay Thai fights, Chidi Njokuani came to prominence competing in the -80.7 kg/178 lb division for the Oklahoma Destroyers in the team-based World Combat League kickboxing promotion during the 2007-08 season in which he lost matches to such notables as Raymond Daniels and Lyman Good. He suffered his first professional Muay Thai loss at the hands of Joe Schilling on April 25, 2009 (dropping a unanimous decision at ''Dominant Knockout 1'' in

Irving, Texas Irving is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. Located in Dallas County, it is also an inner ring suburb of Dallas. The city of Irving is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. According to a 2019 estimate from the United States Census Bureau, ...

) but rebounded with back-to-back defeats of Edwin Aguilar (a UD win under Oriental kickboxing rules at ''Kickboxing Empire I'' in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 30, 2011) and Ken Tran (a second round

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

at ''Lion Fight: Battle in the Desert 4'' in Las Vegas on November 19, 2011). Returning to the Muay Thai ring, Njokuani fought to a controversial majority draw with Simon Marcus on the ''Push Kick Promotions: Muay Thai World Stand Off 5'' card in Las Vegas on September 29, 2013. Njokuani started the fight well, using footwork to control the ring, but Marcus soon got inside and began landing knees and elbows from the clinch. In round two, Njokuani was twice given time to recover from illegal strikes, an elbow to the back of the head and a low blow. Each time the fight continued, Marcus would begin to again work in the clinch and Njokuani repeatedly turned his back, so the referee decided to break the fighters continually. Marcus was docked a point by referee Tony Weeks for landing a second low blow in round three and the fight turned into a brawl towards the end. When it went to the judges, the bout was declared a majority draw with two judges scoring the bout a draw and one scoring the bout for Njokuani. Simon Marcus then took to the microphone, calling Chidi Njokuani a "bitch" for his unwillingness to fight in the clinch and questioning the judges knowledge of the Muay Thai scoring system. These post-fight comments led to a heated confrontation between Marcus and Chidi's brother Anthony as they scuffled back stage.

Mixed martial arts

Resurrection Fighting Alliance

Having compiled a 7–3 record as a mixed martial artist, Njokuani signed with the Resurrection Fighting Alliance in 2012. He made his RFA debut at ''RFA 3: Stevenson vs. Cochrane'', against Bobby Cooper. He won via the first decision of his career. Njokuani then was paired up with Phil Dace at ''RFA 4''. He won via TKO. Njokuani fought Jeremy Kimball at ''RFA 7'' and lost via submission.

Bellator MMA

In June 2015, it was announced that Njokuani had signed with

. He made his debut against Ricky Rainey at Bellator 146 on November 20, 2015. He won the fight by unanimous decision. In his second fight for the promotion, Njokuani was scheduled to face Douglas Lima, however Lima pulled out of the bout and was replaced b Thiago Jambo at Bellator 156 on June 17, 2016. He won that fight via knockout due to a combination of body kick and punches. In his highest profile fight for the promotion, Njokuani faced undefeated prospect André Fialho at Bellator 167 on December 3, 2016. He won the fight via knockout just 21 seconds into the first round. Making a quick return to the cage, Njokuani faced Melvin Guillard in the main event at Bellator 171 on January 27, 2017. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Njokuani faced former Bellator welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 182 on August 25, 2017. He lost the fight in the first round via a combination of punches and elbows. Njokuani next moved up to Middleweight to face Hisaki Kato at Bellator 189 on December 1, 2017. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Njokuani was scheduled to face Melvin Manhoef on November 30, 2018 at Bellator 210. However, Manhoef withdrew from the bout due to injury and was replaced by John Salter. Njokuani lost the bout via submission in the first round. Njokuani faced

Rafael Carvalho Rafael Carvalho de Souza (born 27 July 1986) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions of Bellator MMA, where he was a former Bellator Middleweight World Champion. As o ...

at Bellator 224 in a 190 pound Catchweight bout on July 12, 2019. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Njokuani was subsequently released from the promotion.

Post-Bellator

After being released from Bellator, Njokuani signed a contract with Legacy Fighting Alliance. He made his promotional debut against Cristhian Torres at LFA 91: Njokuani vs. Torres on September 11, 2020, winning by second-round technical knockout. Njokuani faced Mario Sousa on September 7, 2021 at Dana White's Contender Series 38. He won the bout in the third round via ground and pound elbows. In the process, he also secured a UFC contract.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In his UFC debut, Njokuani faced

Marc-André Barriault Marc-André Barriault (born February 18, 1990) is a Canadian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who is currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) Middleweight division. He previously competed with TKO Major League MMA where h ...

on February 5, 2022 at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Strickland. He won the fight via knockout in round one. This fight earned him the '' Performance of the Night'' award. Njokuani next faced Duško Todorović on May 21, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 206. He won the fight via knockout due to an elbow at the end of the first round. This win earned him a second consecutive '' Performance of the Night'' award. Njokuani faced Gregory Rodrigues on September 17, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 210. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round two. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award. Njokuani is scheduled to face Albert Duraev on March 25, 2023 at

UFC on ESPN 43 ''UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Sandhagen'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 43'') is an upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that will take place on March 25, 2023, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, United ...

Championships and accomplishments

* Ultimate Fighting Championship ** Performance of the Night (Two times) ** Fight of the Night (One time) * Tachi Palace Fights ** Tachi PF Welterweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 22–8 (1) , Gregory Rodrigues , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Song , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:27 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–7 (1) , Duško Todorović , KO (elbow) , UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Vieira , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:48 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–7 (1) ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Strickland , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:16 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–7 (1) , Mário Sousa , TKO (elbows) , Dana White's Contender Series 38 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:35 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–7 (1) , Cristhian Torres , TKO (knee to the body and punches) , LFA 91 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:10 , Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–7 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 224 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–6 (1) , John Salter , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Bellator 210 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:32 , Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–5 (1) , Hisaki Kato , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 189 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–5 (1) , Andrey Koreshkov , TKO (punches and elbows) , Bellator 182 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:08 , Verona, New York, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–4 (1) , Melvin Guillard , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 171 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Mulvane, Kansas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–4 (1) , André Fialho , TKO (punches) , Bellator 167 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:21 , Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4 (1) , Thiago Gonçalves , KO (body kick and punches) , Bellator 156 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:39 , Fresno, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 (1) , Ricky Rainey , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 146 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 (1) , Max Griffin , Decision (split) , TPF 23 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Lemoore, California Lemoore (formerly, La Tache and Lee Moore's) is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford-Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 2 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 (1) , Gilbert Smith , Decision (unanimous) , RFA 22 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 (1) , Steve Hanna , Decision (unanimous) , RFA 18 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 10–4 (1) , Chris Heatherly , NC (elbow to spine) , RFA 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:31 , Lincoln, Nebraska, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–4 , LeVon Maynard , TKO (punches) , ShinZo Fight Sport 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:40 , Guatemala City, Guatemala , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–4 , Jeremy Kimball , Submission (rear-naked choke) , RFA 7 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:51 , Denver, Colorado, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 , Phil Dace , TKO (punches) , RFA 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:41 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–3 , Bobby Cooper , Decision (unanimous) , RFA 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kearney, Nebraska Kearney is the county seat of Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 30,787 in the 2010 census. It is home to the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The westward push of the railroad as the Civil War ended gave new birt ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3 , John Reedy , TKO (leg kick) , TPF 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:55 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3 , Jon Harris , TKO (knee and punches) , Legacy FC 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:54 ,

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–3 , Brandon Thatch , TKO (punches) , Ring of Fire 41: Bragging Rights , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:53 , Broomfield, Colorado, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 , Alan Jouban , TKO (body kick) , TPF 9 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:27 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 , Jack Montgomery , Submission (guillotine choke) , KOTC: Infusion , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:35 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–2 , Chris Kennedy , KO (punches) , MMA Xplosion: Vianna vs. Lacy , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:52 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–2 , Jorge Lopez , TKO (punches) , MMA Xplosion: Next Generation Fighter , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:15 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Warren Thompson , Submission (keylock) , Bangkok Fight Night 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:05 , Atlanta, Georgia, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Andrew Moncriefe , TKO (punches) , Supreme Warrior Championship 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:22 , Frisco, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Jorge Cortez , TKO (punches) , FTP: Global Showdown , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:30 , Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States ,

Kickboxing record

, - bgcolor="#c5d2ea" , 2013-9-28 , , Draw , , align=left, Simon Marcus , , Push Kick Promotions: Muay Thai World Stand Off 5 , , Las Vegas, Nevada, US , , Decision (majority) , , 3 , , 3:00 , , 0-2-1 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2009-4-25 , , Loss , , align=left, Joe Schilling , , Dominant Knockout 1 , ,

, US, , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , , 0-2 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2008-5-3 , , Loss , , align=left, Raymond Daniels , , World Combat League , ,

Oklahoma, USA Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, ...

, , Decision (18-6) , , 1 , , 3:00 , , 0-1

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Njokuani, Chidi 1988 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American Muay Thai practitioners Bellator male fighters Sportspeople from Dallas American sportspeople of Nigerian descent Igbo sportspeople American male kickboxers Light heavyweight kickboxers