Chidi Njokuani, who is 2-0 in the UFC welterweight division, missed weight for his upcoming fight against Elizeu Zaleski at UFC Vegas 104, with Zaleski viewing this as an advantage due to the challenges of adapting to a lower weight class.
Chidi Njokuani’s journey in the UFC has been quite a ride. Since dropping to welterweight, he’s gone 2-0. But, alas, he couldn’t make weight for his UFC Vegas 104 bout against Elizeu Zaleski this Saturday at UFC APEX. “Capoeira” kinda saw that coming and thinks it’s a plus for him if Njokuani’s drained before the fight.
“I think he had a hard time making 170, so it’s an advantage for me,” Zaleski shared with MMA Fighting even before Njokuani missed weight. He figured cutting down from middleweight was already tough, and now going lower? It’s a lot to handle. Adapting takes time.
Njokuani has missed weight before as a middleweight—almost five pounds over when he faced ex-Bellator champ Rafael Carvalho back in 2019. But then he nailed it in his next seven fights until he decided to drop to welterweight. Managed to hit the mark for wins over Rhys McKee and Jared Gooden. This time, though? Missed by 1.25 pounds.
Zaleski knows the game well. “Welterweight is completely different from middleweight,” he said, recalling his knockout win over Sean Strickland at 170 pounds. Middleweights are slower, heavier; welterweights demand more speed and strength. It takes some getting used to, or you risk running out of steam. Zaleski’s feeling pretty good about his spot in the division, curious to see how Njokuani handles it.
In his last octagon outing, Zaleski made quick work of Zach Scroggin—just 75 seconds! That came after a majority draw with Rinat Fakhretdinov and a decision loss to Randy Brown. Before those, he was on a two-fight winning streak, including dominating Benoit Saint Denis. Now? Aiming for another finish in Las Vegas.
“I’m always super excited to brawl,” Zaleski said with enthusiasm bubbling up. “This time’s no different.” He’s smarter and more technical now. Facing an experienced opponent like Njokuani, who’s done well in major promotions and is on a roll in the UFC, is thrilling. “He’s good, he’s great,” Zaleski acknowledged. “It’ll be a pleasure to brawl with him.” Spotting openings on the feet, maybe we’ll witness a knockout!