UFC Fight Night 210 Betting: Njokuani vs. Rodrigues Picks, Game Analysis and Preview (Saturday, September 17th, 2022)

Middleweight fighters take centerstage as Chidi Njokuani takes on Gregory Rodrigues in a three-round encounter. The match will be the undercard of the UFC Fight Night 210 that will take place on Saturday, September 17, at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. ESPN+ will cover the showdown via livestream. Njokuani is riding high on a four-fight winning streak while Rodrigues looks to duplicate his performance against Julian Marquez. MMA fight picks and predictions favor Njokuani due to his MMA experience and his knockout percentage. But Rodrigues knows how to finish early, as he has stopped 10 opponents either by submission or knockout.

Chidi Njokuani

Known in the mixed martial arts circles as “Chidi Bang Bang,” Njokuani (22-7, 1 No Contest) started as a kickboxer and a muay Thai practitioner before transitioning to MMA. The Dallas-born fighter was once a standout in Bellator and fought the likes of Rafael Carvalho, Andrey Koreshikov, and former UFC veteran Melvin Guillard. In February 2022, he transferred to UFC and has not lost in two bouts. Both of these fights ended in just one round as Dusko Todorovic and Marc-Andre Barriault fell prey to his punches en route to successive knockout wins. Njokuani has a better knockout percentage of about 64%. He hopes to replicate his two KO wins against Rodrigues.

Gregory Rodrigues

Rodrigues (12-4) had martial arts knowledge at a young age as he learned capoeira at the age of five and jiu-jitsu three years later. The jiu-jitsu black belt trained with the coach of Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and became an eight-time national champion and eventually a professional world champion in Abu Dhabi. The fighter known as “Robocop” also took up Olympic wrestling and was a runner-up at the Pan-American championships in Nicaragua.

He started his MMA career in 2014 in Brazil and had a 7-2 record before taking on Jordan Williams in Dana White’s Contender Series. He lost the fight, but that did not stop him from fulfilling his dreams. After that setback, he strung four straight wins in the LFA and UFC. Rodrigues met a stumbling block in Armen Petrosyan, who edged him by a split decision. He stepped back into the octagon with a vengeance in June, dispatching Julian Marquez in one round Ten of Rodrigues’ 12 wins came by stoppage or submission, so expect the fight between him and Njokuani to end up just before the final bell is up.

Chidi Njokuani vs. Gregory Rodrigues Betting Numbers

	Njokuani	Rodrigues
Record	22-7-0 (1 NC)	12-4-0
Last Fight	Win	Win
Country	USA	Brazil
Height	6’3″	6’3″
Weight	185	185
Reach	80	75
Win by KO/TKO	64%	58%
Submissions	5%	25%
Decisions	32%	17%
Strikes Landed Per Minute	3.76	6.00
Striking Accuracy	73%	55%
Striking Absorbed Per Minute	1.45	5.73
Striking Defense	56%	53%
Takedown Average	0.00	2.40
Takedown Accuracy	0%	53%
Takedown Defense	76%	100%
Submission Average	0.5	0.7

Njokuani vs. Rodrigues Summary

Early UFC betting odds favor the American to win over the Brazilian, but the sport’s unpredictability makes it an anybody’s fight. A stoppage is expected between these equally-talented fighters, and Njokuani is seen as the winner if both fighters elect to fight standing up. However, if the fight goes to the mat, expect Rodrigues to take advantage due to his world-class jiu-jitsu experience and wrestling skills.