Chidi Njokuani glad he didn’t get to the UFC earlier: ‘I would’ve f*cked it all up’

MMA News
Chidi Njokuani glad he didn’t get to the UFC earlier: ‘I would’ve f*cked it all up’

SAN ANTONIO – Chidi Njokuani thinks he joined the UFC roster at the perfect time.

Although it took Njokuani (22-8 MMA, 2-1 UFC) 28 professional fights, the 34-year-old doubts he would have been able to handle the brighter lights and bigger paychecks as a young fighter.

In three UFC bouts, the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate has earned two knockout wins and three bonuses overall.

“I think I got here when I needed to,” Njokuani told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday for UFC on ESPN 43. “I think if I would have came when I was young and 20-something, I would have just messed it all up. You couldn’t give me that amount of money back then. I would have just messed everything up. … I would have f*cked it all up. You would have found me in a ditch somewhere.”

Njokuani will look to rebound from his first octagon loss to Gregory Rodrigues in a Fight of the Night clash this past September when he meets Albert Duraev (15-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 43 main card opener at AT&T Center in San Antonio. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

With 14 knockout wins to his name, Njokuani expects Duraev to grapple him.

“I think anybody that fights me is going to try to be more grapple-heavy, regardless of what they did in their last fight,” Njokuani said. “So I expect him to come out and really try to like push the pace on the ground.

“I just want to be the best. I want to come out here and I want to beat everybody that they put in front of me. I want to do it in dominant fashion. I want to put on exciting fights. I want to just go down in the history books.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

Chidi Njokuani glad he didn’t get to the UFC earlier: ‘I would’ve f*cked it all up’