UFC Vegas 104 co-headliner Chidi Njokuani made a statement in his promotional debut with a 16-second finish.
Chidi Njokuani became a household name in his UFC debut against Marc-Andre Barriault. After getting a shot in the Octagon after a Dana White’s Contender Series win and an up-and-down Bellator tenure, Njokuani knew he needed to prove a point.
Njokuani faces Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in the UFC Vegas 104 co-main event this Saturday at the Apex. He returns to the Octagon in an exciting matchup featuring two of the middleweight division’s most dangerous outs.
Ahead of UFC Vegas 104, let’s turn back the clock to February 5th, 2022 when Njokuani made his promotional debut against Barriault.
- READ MORE: ‘Dead’… KSI promises to kill planned Tony Ferguson vs Dillon Danis fight in menacing message
Chidi Njokuani proved Dana White correct with a brutal UFC debut finish
Njokuani had an up-and-down MMA career leading up to his UFC shot following a spectacular performance on DWCS. Luckily for Njokuani, his UFC debut couldn’t’ve gone much better as he flattened the talented Canadian with one punch.
Just seconds into the fight, Njokuani dropped Barriault with a wicked right hand that sounded like a bat hitting a tree on the ESPN broadcast. Njokuani sealed the deal with brutal ground-and-pound follow-ups to put himself on the middleweight map.
The 16-second finish, to no surprise, earned Njokuani a post-fight performance bonus. Just months later, in his next UFC fight, he knocked out Duško Todorović with an elbow.
Israel Adesanya’s two-time rival returns in the UFC Vegas 104 headliner
Njokuani will look to keep up his strong momentum heading into UFC Vegas 104. At 36 years old, he’s running out of time for a potential middleweight title push, but he enters UFC Vegas 104 on a two-fight win streak over Rhys McKee and Jared Gooden.
UFC Vegas 104 features the return of former middleweight title challenger Marvin Vettori against Roman Dolidze. The middleweight brawlers, on paper, are expected to put on a fireworks matchup for fight fans.
It’s been a long time coming for Vettori, who returns to the cage for the first time since a loss to Jared Cannonier in June 2023. He also holds a previous win over Dolidze, defeating him by unanimous decision at UFC 286.
Dolidze returns after recent wins over Anthony Smith and Kevin Holland. A win over a middleweight mainstay like Vettori will prove he belongs in the middleweight title picture.