Preview: UFC Fight Night 206 ‘Holm vs. Vieira’

Middleweights

Chidi Njokuani (21-7, 1-0 UFC) vs. Dusko Todorovic (11-2, 2-2 UFC)

ODDS: Njokuani (-190), Todorovic (+160)

Njokuani’s UFC debut could not have gone much better. A former Bellator MMA headliner, it was a bit amusing that “Chidi Bang Bang” had to go the Dana White’s Contender Series route to theoretically prove himself UFC-worthy, but he did so with a third-round knockout of Mario Sousa. Njokuani is a talented fighter but can be a bit frustrating at times. He is capable of some violent offense at range and in the clinch, but barring an early knockout, his fights can often become grimy affairs that lead to a decision or a late finish. His UFC debut against Marc-Andre Barriault figured to be one of those fights, but Njokuani instead scored a knockout in just 16 seconds, particularly impressive against a fighter most known for his durability. Njokuani looks for an encore against Serbia’s Todorovic, who is hoping to build the first real momentum of his UFC career. Todorovic looked solid if unspectacular in earning a UFC contract via DWCS in 2019, and the hope was that a regional win over Michel Pereira portended his ability to hang against better athletes. However, it has been rough going at times for “Thunder,” who has needed to rely on a clear strength advantage to find his comfort zone over four UFC fights. Todorovic was able to bully Dequan Townsend and find a ground-and-pound stoppage against Maki Pitolo, but losses to Punahele Soriano and Gregory Rodrigues have seen him get outgunned. Despite getting knocked out by Soriano, Todorovic has at least shown an impressive chin along the way. Njokuani could find another stoppage—he did knock out Barriault after all—but this is likely to turn into another grind where he holds the advantage. It may not be pretty, but the pick is Njokuani via decision.

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Holm vs. Vieira
Pereira vs. Ponzinibbio
Njokuani vs. Todorovic
Ricci vs. Viana
Park vs. Anders
The Prelims