Preview: UFC on ESPN 54 ‘Blanchfield vs. Fiorot’

Welterweights

Chidi Njokuani (22-10, 2-3 UFC) vs. Rhys McKee (13-5-1, 0-3 UFC)

ODDS: Njokuani (-142), McKee (+120)

It was a bit absurd when Njokuani, a former Bellator MMA headliner, had to go through Dana White’s Contender Series to earn a UFC contract in 2021, but he at least hit the ground running once he made it to the Octagon. “Chidi Bang Bang” ran through Marc-Andre Barriault and Dusko Todorovic to quickly establish himself as a middleweight to watch. However, for all of Njokuani’s diverse offense and potential for violence, he has been on a surprising downswing in his three fights since then despite some strong moments. He split Gregory Rodrigues’ face open, only to see the Brazilian stage a comeback, and he similarly had Michal Oleksiejczuk on the verge of a knockout before getting things turned around on himself. Njokuani moves down to welterweight in the hopes of finding greener pastures, and Ireland’s McKee makes for an interesting first matchup at 170 pounds.

A top prospect when the UFC first signed him in 2020, McKee had a surprisingly short run in the promotion. It was not a shock that he lost to a bulldozer like Khamzat Chimaev or a crafty vet like Alex Morono, but it was puzzling that the promotion cut bait rather than give McKee a third shot. McKee rebounded and found himself back in the UFC fold in 2023, as he made an unsuccessful return against Ange Loosa in September. McKee has found his niche as a fighter who can absorb a beating and outlast his opponent in a war of attrition, which nearly worked against Loosa. McKee certainly did eat plenty of offense before turning things around in the last minute of the fight, at which point the final horn intervened. Staging a comeback against Njokuani has worked in the past, but it does seem risky to present so many opportunities to a violent opportunist, McKee’s durability notwithstanding. The pick is Njokuani via first-round knockout.

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Blanchfield vs. Fiorot
Luque vs. Buckley
Silva vs. Weidman
Ruziboev vs. Dumas
Algeo vs. Nelson
Njokuani vs. McKee
The Prelims