The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday will return to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with an engaging undercard. There are some top prospects in action at UFC Fight Night 244—they include flyweight newcomer Ramazonbek Temirov and recent Dana White’s Contender Series standout Cody Haddon—to go along with some solid veterans. Chidi Njokuani and Jared Gooden should have a banger at welterweight in the featured slot, while Jonathan Pearce takes on Pat Sabatini in a battle of featherweight wrestlers looking to get back in the win column.
Welterweights
Chidi Njokuani (23-10, 3-3 UFC) vs. Jared Gooden (23-9, 2-4 UFC)ODDS: Njokuani (-185), Gooden (+154)
Njokuani tried to give his UFC career some new life with a cut down to welterweight earlier this year, and while early returns are a bit mixed, “Chidi Bang Bang” is at least back in the win column. It was a bit absurd that Njokuani had to earn a UFC contract through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021, given that he had nearly a decade and a half of pro experience and a lot of high-level fights in Bellator MMA, but he scored the finish there and went about establishing himself as a knockout artist in his first two UFC fights. That gave way to a three-fight losing streak, which might have dulled Njokuani’s momentum but did little to lower his stock, given that fights against Gregory Rodrigues and Michal Oleksiejczuk were each entertaining wars. Still, the skid was enough for Njokuani to ply his trade down at 170 pounds—a weight class he had last competed in nearly a decade ago—and the UFC seemingly did well to give him a winnable matchup against Rhys McKee in March. Njokuani did wind up with the victory, but it was an ugly decision in what was his worst UFC performance to date, as he looked slow and didn’t particularly stand out physically. Perhaps things go smoother against Gooden. The 30-year-old Gooden initially slid out of the UFC in 2021 but was back in about a year and a half, which seems about right for a fighter as dangerous and limited as “Nite Train.” Gooden’s a powerful knockout artist and a solid athlete who looks to pour pressure onto his opponent but does so with a stock-stiff upright style that makes him quite hittable against anybody willing to steel themselves and return fire. Njokuani should be able to meet those requirements. Even if this is another flat showing for Njokuani, Gooden provides so many defensive openings that he’ll still likely find a finish. The pick is Njokuani via second-round knockout.
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Njokuani vs. Gooden
Temirov vs. Vergara
Pearce vs. Sabatini
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Haddon vs. Argueta
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