Chidi Njokuani

Chidi Godson Njokuani (born December 31, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist, former Muay Thai fighter, and kickboxer, who currently competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2007, he also formerly competed for Bellator MMA, RFA, Tachi Palace Fights, and Legacy FC.

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.

Kickboxing & Muay Thai career 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) 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 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 career

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 Bellator MMA. 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 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 on February 5, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 200. 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 faced Albert Duraev on March 25, 2023 at UFC on ESPN 43. He lost the fight via split decision.

Njokuani faced Michał Oleksiejczuk at UFC Fight Night 225 on August 26, 2023. He lost the bout via first round ground and pound TKO stoppage at the end of the first round.

Njokuani faced Rhys McKee on March 30, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 54. He won the fight via split decision.

Njokuani faced Jared Gooden on October 12, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 244. At the weigh-ins, Gooden weighed in at 172.5 pounds, one and a half pounds over the welterweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Gooden was fined 20 percent of his purse which went to Njokuani.

Njokuani was reportedly scheduled to compete on February 22, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 252. However, instead, he faced Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos on March 15, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 254. At the weigh-ins, Njokuani weighed in at 172.5 pounds, one and a quarter pounds over the welterweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Njokuani was fined 20 percent of his purse which went to Zaleski dos Santos. Njokuani won the fight by technical knockout via a knee and elbows in the second round.

Njokuani faced Jake Matthews at UFC on ESPN 70 in Nashville, Tennessee on July 12, 2025. He lost the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the first round.

Njokuani faced Carlos Leal Miranda on February 21, 2026 at UFC Fight Night 267. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Njokuani was scheduled to face Geoff Neal on August 15, 2026 at UFC 330. However, Neal had to withdraw for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Joel Álvarez. Njokuani won the fight by unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments Ultimate Fighting Championship Performance of the Night (Two times) Tachi Palace Fights Tachi PF Welterweight Championship (One time; former) MMA Fighting 2022 Third Team MMA All-Star

Mixed martial arts record Win

Joel Álvarez Decision (unanimous) UFC 330

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Loss

Carlos Leal Miranda Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Hernandez

Houston, Texas, United States Loss

Jake Matthews Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Teixeira

Nashville, Tennessee, United States Win

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos TKO (knee and elbows) UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Dolidze 2

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Jared Gooden Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Taira

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Rhys McKee Decision (split) UFC on ESPN: Blanchfield vs. Fiorot

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Loss

Michał Oleksiejczuk TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. The Korean Zombie

Kallang, Singapore Loss

Albert Duraev Decision (split) UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Sandhagen

San Antonio, Texas, United States Loss

Gregory Rodrigues TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Song

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Duško Todorović KO (elbow) UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Vieira

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Marc-André Barriault KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Strickland

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Mário Felipe de Sousa TKO (elbows) Dana White's Contender Series 38

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Cristhian Torres TKO (knee to the body and punches) LFA 91

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States Loss

Rafael Carvalho Decision (unanimous) Bellator 224

Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States Loss

John Salter Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 210

Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States Win

Hisaki Kato Decision (unanimous) Bellator 189

Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States Loss

Andrey Koreshkov TKO (punches and elbows) Bellator 182

Verona, New York, United States Win

Melvin Guillard Decision (unanimous) Bellator 171

Mulvane, Kansas, United States Win

André Fialho TKO (punches) Bellator 167

Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States Win

Thiago Gonçalves KO (body kick and punches) Bellator 156

Fresno, California, United States Win

Ricky Rainey Decision (unanimous) Bellator 146

Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States Win

Max Griffin Decision (split) Tachi Palace Fights 23

Lemoore, California, United States Win

Gilbert Smith Decision (unanimous) RFA 22

Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States Win

Steve Hanna Decision (unanimous) RFA 18

Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States NC

Chris Heatherly NC (elbow to spine) RFA 13

Lincoln, Nebraska, United States Win

LeVon Maynard TKO (punches) ShinZo Fight Sport 1

Guatemala City, Guatemala Loss

Jeremy Kimball Submission (rear-naked choke) RFA 7

Denver, Colorado, United States Win

Phil Dace TKO (punches) RFA 4

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Bobby Cooper Decision (unanimous) RFA 3

Kearney, Nebraska, United States Win

John Reedy TKO (leg kick) Tachi Palace Fights 13

Lemoore, California, United States Win

Jon Harris TKO (knee and punches) Legacy FC 10

Houston, Texas, United States Loss

Brandon Thatch TKO (punches) Ring of Fire 41

Broomfield, Colorado, United States Win

Alan Jouban TKO (body kick) Tachi Palace Fights 9

Lemoore, California, United States Win

Jack Montgomery Submission (guillotine choke) KOTC: Infusion

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Chris Kennedy KO (punches) MMA Xplosion: Vianna vs. Lacy

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Jorge Lopez TKO (punches) MMA Xplosion: Next Generation Fighter

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Warren Thompson Submission (keylock) Bangkok Fight Night 3

Atlanta, Georgia, United States Win

Andrew Moncriefe TKO (punches) Supreme Warrior Championship 1

Frisco, Texas, United States Win

Jorge Cortez TKO (punches) Fight Time Productions: Global Showdown

Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States Kickboxing record (incomplete)