UFC Atlantic City: Erin Blanchfield vs. Manon Fiorot kicks off the main card with a fight in the welterweight division between Chidi Njokuani and Rhys McKee. Njokuani is on the heels of three consecutive losses for the first time in his career as he comes into this matchup meanwhile, McKee dropped his second debut fight in the UFC in his last outing but has won three out of his last four coming into this weekend's event. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Njokuani-McKee prediction and pick.
Chidi Njokuani (22-10) has now lost three in a row for the first time in his professional career which sparked his move back down to the welterweight division. This will be the first time he has had to cut 170 lbs since 2016 as he hopes this move will get him back on track. Njokuani's back is against the wall and he will be looking to go out there and get himself back into the win column when he takes on Rhys McKee at UFC Atlantic City.
Rhys McKee (13-5-1) came into his second stint with the UFC on short notice to take on Ange Loosa who out-battled him to a unanimous decision victory. Even though he lost the fight, he showed his toughness and cardio as he poured it on late in the 3rd round against Loosa showing he belongs in the UFC. McKee will be searching for his first UFC victory when he takes on Chidi Njokuani this weekend.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of BetOnline.
UFC Atlantic City Odds: Chidi Njokuani-Rhys McKee Odds
Chidi Njokuani: -141
Rhys McKee: +121
Over 2.5 rounds: +105
Under 2.5 rounds: -135
*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Chidi Njokuani Will Win
Chidi Njokuani came into his UFC career guns blazing with blistering back-to-back first-round knockouts of Marc-Andre Barriault and Dusko Todorovic. Since then, he has dropped three consecutive fights with two of those losses coming by knockout. Njokuani will be dropping down to welterweight for the first time since 2016 when he takes on Rhys McKee this weekend at UFC Atlantic City.
Njokuani is now 35 years old and realized maybe his durability isn't all the way there anymore that he can go against these heavy hitters at 185 lbs so now he is dropping down to welterweight where power is a little less renowned. Certainly in this matchup against McKee, he will not have to worry about that one-hit power but McKee still possesses the ability to knockout his opponents. However, Njokuani will have a massive power advantage and a size advantage over his opposition in this matchup. It's up to Chidi Njokuani to come in there and bring the fight to McKee early where he has the potential to end the fight early and get out of there quickly getting himself back on track.
Why Rhys McKee Will Win
Rhys McKee had a rough during both of his stints in the UFC. During his first stint, he ran into Khamzat Chimaev who absolutely mauled him into a TKO finish in round one and then dropped a unanimous decision to Alex Morono in his next fight. Since those two losses, McKee went back to Cage Warriors to become their welterweight champion which gave him his second opportunity in the UFC where he lost a third time inside the Octagon against Ange Loosa.
Now, finally searching for his first win in the UFC he will be taking on the dangerous Chidi Njokuani this weekend. While Njokuani is a very dangerous striker, McKee has shown to have a chin on him only getting knocked out by Tim Barnett as a 5-0 professional back in 2017. This is going to come down to McKee's durability and if he can weather the early onslaught of Njokuani and get out of round one there is a chance that he can take over as Njokuani fades which then he can take it to him possibly getting the knockout and his first win inside the Octagon.
Final Chidi Njokuani-Rhys McKee Prediction & Pick
This should be a slugfest for however long it lasts. It is quite odd to see someone as massive as Chidi Njokuani at age 35 cut an extra 15 lbs just to avoid getting knocked out at this stage of his career. It's very hard to see this ending well for him if he doesn't get the knockout within five minutes and that is what his win is solely predicated on. Seeing as McKee has shown that durability isn't an issue, expect him to weather this early storm to get out of round one and then put the pace and pressure on Njokuani getting him out there midway through the second round or third round.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Chidi Njokuani-Rhys McKee Prediction & Pick: Rhys McKee (+121), Over 1.5 Rounds (+105)
Follow Us
Subscribe