Chidi Njokuani think he’s one of the most skilled kickboxers in the UFC middleweight division. He’s not alone in that area.
Although reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is the current leader of the bunch, there are a number of fighters competing at 185 pounds who have an extensive history in striking-only sports. Njokuani (21-7 w. 1 NC MMA, 1-0 UFC), who meets Dusko Todorovic (11-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 206 card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, is one of them.
Another prominent name is Alex Pereira (5-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who holds two kickboxing victories over Adesanya – including one by knockout – and is currently slated to fight Sean Strickland at UFC 276 on July 2.
Njokuani is still far out from being in fights that the likes of Adesanya and Pereira currently find themselves in, but he hopes to work himself to that level.
“That would be dope,” Njokuani told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at UFC Fight Night 206 media day. “I’ve got a lot of respect for him because he’s made a name for himself in the kickboxing world, and that’s not easy to do either. It would be dope to test my skills out against somebody else in that high of a caliber without having to go back to kickboxing to do it. I’ll probably shoot for a double leg or something.”
To hear more from Njokuani, watch his complete UFC Fight Night 206 media day interview above.
Chidi Njokuani thinks it ‘would be dope’ to eventually fight Alex Pereira in UFC