Middleweights
Michal Oleksiejczuk (18-6, 6-4 UFC) vs. Chidi Njokuani (22-9, 2-2 UFC)This solidly booked matchup at 185 pounds sees two talented fighters go for a badly needed win. It was a bit absurd that a battle-vested vet like Njokuani had to go through Dana White’s Contender Series to earn a UFC contract, but the former Bellator headliner hit the ground running upon making it to the UFC roster. “Chidi Bang Bang” scored quick knockouts of Marc-Andre Barriault and Dusko Todorovic, then split Gregory Rodrigues’ face open before losing a back-and-forth war. However, Njokuani’s career has been full of ebbs and flows, and his last fight against Albert Duraev was another downswing—a slow-paced affair where he never picked things up into another gear. He will look to break his skid against Oleksiejczuk, who is still finding his level after a cut down to middleweight. Oleksiejczuk hit a bit of a plateau as an undersized light heavyweight and seemed to relish being a bit of a bully once he cut down to 185 pounds. The Pole’s attempts at technical improvement mostly went out the window in quick finishes of Sam Alvey and Cody Brundage. The Brundage win, in particular, suggested that Oleksiejczuk could get by as a physical force against stronger wrestlers, but he instead got controlled and submitted by Caio Borralho in April. Borralho is a strong bully in his own right, so it is a bit difficult to calibrate exactly how well Oleksiejczuk’s physicality will hold up going forward at middleweight, which makes it an open question as to how much success he will find, in general. Add in Oleksiejczuk’s gas tank concerns— if only because it was sometimes an issue at 205 pounds and all of his middleweight fights have been over fairly quickly—and that is enough to give Njokuani the nod in terms of stringing together 15 consistent minutes. This is a close fight, but the pick is Njokuani via decision.
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