Chidi Godson Njokuani (born December 31, 1988) is an American former Muay Thai kickboxer and current professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who currently competes in the Middleweight division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC). A professional MMA competitor since 2007, he also formerly competed for Bellator MMA, RFA,

Tachi Palace Fights Tachi Palace Fights (TPF) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion which hosted events at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California. Matchmaker for TPF was former fighter Richard Goodman. Regarded as a regional promotion, ...

, and Legacy FC.

Background

Chidi Njokuani was born to

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

parents in Dallas, Texas on December 31, 1988. His name "Chidi" means "God exists" in

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a ...

. He was introduced to Muay Thai by his older brother

Anthony Anthony or Antony is a masculine given name, derived from the '' Antonii'', a ''gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descendants of Anton, ...

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 Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

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 The World Combat League (WCL) was a full contact, team-based kickboxing promotion. It was founded by movie star and martial artist Chuck Norris. Rules The rules are typical of other full contact striking competitions, with some minor variati ...

kickboxing promotion during the 2007-08 season in which he lost matches to such notables as Raymond Daniels and

Lyman Good Lyman Merrill Good (born May 26, 1985), also known as "American Cyborg", is an American mixed martial artist. He is perhaps best known for his time spent with Bellator, where he was the inaugural Bellator Welterweight Champion. Good currently c ...

. He suffered his first professional Muay Thai loss at the hands of

Joe Schilling Joseph Francis Schilling (born January 13, 1984) is an American professional Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist who most recently competed for Bellator Kickboxing in the Middleweight division, and in the Middleweight division for Bell ...

on April 25, 2009 (dropping a

unanimous decision A unanimous decision (UD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and other sports involving striking and submission in which all three judges agree on which fighte ...

at ''Dominant Knockout 1'' in Irving, Texas) 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 Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

on July 30, 2011) and Ken Tran (a second round knockout 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 A majority draw is an outcome in several full-contact combat sports, including boxing, mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referre ...

with

Simon Marcus Simon Marcus (born 5 November 1986), also known as The One, is a Canadian mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai kickboxer, who competes in the Light Heavyweight and Cruiserweight divisions. He is currently signed with Unified MMA. He was ...

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 In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...

and

elbows The elbow is the region between the arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and the media ...

from the

clinch Clinch may refer to: * Nail (fastener) or device to hold in this way * Clinching, in metalworking * Clinch fighting or the clinch, a grappling position in boxing or wrestling, a stand-up embrace * Clinch County, Georgia, USA * Clinch River, near T ...

. 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 Jeremy Kimball, (born March 1, 1991) is an American mixed martial arts fighter who formerly competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2010, Kimball has also formerly compete ...

at ''RFA 7'' and lost via submission.

Bellator MMA

In June 2015, it was announced that Njokuani had signed with Bellator MMA. He made his debut against

Ricky Rainey Ricky Rainey (born June 29, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2011, Rainey has previously competed for Bellator and in the UFC's Welterweight division. Mixed martial arts career Early career After compi ...

Bellator 146 2015 in Bellator MMA was the seventh year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 16 events in 2015. Background In June 2014, Founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney parted with the company ...

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 Douglas Lima (born 5 January 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is a former three-time Bellator Welterweight Champion. He is also the former MFC Welterweight Champion. ...

, 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 Melvin Paul Guillard, Jr. (born March 30, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division. Guillard most notably competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bellator MMA a ...

in the main event at Bellator 171 on January 27, 2017. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Njokuani faced former

Bellator welterweight champion Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") is an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class. At the time of its inception in 2008, CEO Bjorn Rebney founded ...

Andrey Koreshkov Andrey Andreevich Koreshkov ( Russian: Андрей Андреевич Корешков, born August 23, 1990) is a Russian mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA. He is the former Bellator Welte ...

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 is a Japanese-French professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer who most recently competed in Bellator's Middleweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2013, he has also competed for Rizin. Background Born and raised in Pari ...

at Bellator 189 on December 1, 2017. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Njokuani was scheduled to face

Melvin Manhoef Melvin Manhoef (born 11 May 1976) is a retired Surinamese-born Dutch mixed martial artist and kickboxer. In kickboxing, he is a former It's Showtime Middleweight Champion, and in MMA he was the Cage Rage Light Heavyweight Champion. In mixed mar ...

on November 30, 2018 at Bellator 210. However, Manhoef withdrew from the bout due to injury and was replaced by

John Salter John Salter (born March 21, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division of Bellator. A professional competitor since 2007, he has also competed for the UFC and Strikeforce, King of the Cage, and ...

. Njokuani lost the bout via submission in the first round. Njokuani faced Rafael Carvalho 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 Legacy Fighting Alliance is an American mixed martial arts promotion, created as a result of the ''Legacy Fighting Championship'' and ''Resurrection Fighting Alliance'' merger in early 2017. History Resurrection Fighting Alliance On October 11, ...

. 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 he w ...

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 Duško Todorović (born May 19, 1994) is a Serbian mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Todorović started training taekwondo around the age of eight, continuing u ...

on May 21, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 206 ''UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Vieira'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 206'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 64'' or ''UFC Vegas 55'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 21, 2022, at the UFC Apex ...

. 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 Gregory Felipe Santos Rodrigues (born February 17, 1992) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is an eight-time National BJJ Champion and he was the Smash Global M ...

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.

Championships and accomplishments

** Performance of the Night (Two times) ** Fight of the Night (One time) *

** Tachi PF Welterweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 22–8 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Song , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:27 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–7 (1) ,

, KO (elbow) , UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Vieira , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:48 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–7 (1) ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Strickland , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:16 ,

, 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 ,

, 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 Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–7 (1) , Rafael Carvalho , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 224 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Thackerville, Oklahoma Thackerville is a town in Love County, Oklahoma. It is located in South Central Oklahoma. The population was 445 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Thackerville is located at (33. ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–6 (1) ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Bellator 210 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:32 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–5 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 189 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–5 (1) ,

, TKO (punches and elbows) , Bellator 182 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:08 ,

Verona, New York Verona (called ''Te-o-na-ta-le'', "''pine forest''" by the Haudenosaunee) is a town in southwestern Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 6,293 at the 2010 census. The town was named after Verona, Italy. Verona is located so ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–4 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 171 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Mulvane, Kansas Mulvane is a city in Sedgwick and Sumner counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,286. History Mulvane was laid out in 1879 at the junction of five Santa Fe rail lines. It is named for ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–4 (1) , André Fialho , TKO (punches) , Bellator 167 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:21 ,

, 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 Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 (1) , Max Griffin , Decision (split) , TPF 23 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 (1) , Gilbert Smith , Decision (unanimous) , RFA 22 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 (1) , Steve Hanna , Decision (unanimous) , RFA 18 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Albuquerque, New Mexico, 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 Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

, 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 City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, ne ...

, Guatemala , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–4 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , RFA 7 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:51 ,

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 , Phil Dace , TKO (punches) , RFA 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:41 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–3 , Bobby Cooper , Decision (unanimous) , RFA 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Kearney, Nebraska, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3 , John Reedy , TKO (leg kick) , TPF 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:55 , Lemoore, California, 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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–3 ,

Brandon Thatch Brandon Michael Mathew Thatch (born July 11, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Thatch was adopted at age five by his m ...

, TKO (punches) , Ring of Fire 41: Bragging Rights , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:53 ,

Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a consolidated city and county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. Broomfield has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The Broomfield populati ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 ,

Alan Jouban Alan Michael Joubanhttp://boxing.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/boxingnvgov/content/results/2016_Results/07-07-16MMA.pdf (born November 25, 1982) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division. A profess ...

, TKO (body kick) , TPF 9 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:27 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 , Jack Montgomery , Submission (guillotine choke) , KOTC: Infusion , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:35 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–2 , Chris Kennedy , KO (punches) , MMA Xplosion: Vianna vs. Lacy , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:52 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–2 , Jorge Lopez , TKO (punches) , MMA Xplosion: Next Generation Fighter , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:15 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Warren Thompson , Submission (keylock) , Bangkok Fight Night 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:05 ,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Andrew Moncriefe , TKO (punches) , Supreme Warrior Championship 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:22 ,

Frisco, Texas Frisco is a city in Collin and Denton counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and about from both Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Its population was 200,509 at the 2 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Jorge Cortez , TKO (punches) , FTP: Global Showdown , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:30 ,

, United States ,

Kickboxing record

, - bgcolor="#c5d2ea" , 2013-9-28 , , Draw , , align=left,

, , Push Kick Promotions: Muay Thai World Stand Off 5 , ,

, US , , Decision (majority) , , 3 , , 3:00 , , 0-2-1 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2009-4-25 , , Loss , , align=left,

, , Dominant Knockout 1 , , Irving, Texas, US, , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , , 0-2 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2008-5-3 , , Loss , , align=left, Raymond Daniels , , World Combat League , , Oklahoma, USA , , 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