Out from the Shadows

Bellator 210 features a name with a violent history: Njokuani.

To some, the surname may evoke a particular knockout from “The Nigerian Assassin,” a middling lightweight, who chased Chris Horodecki down the WEC cage before snapping a high kick in his face.

But this weekend, the patronymic applies to his younger brother Chidi “Bang Bang” Njokuani (18-5), Bellator’s middleweight upstart, headlining the promotion’s visit to Thackerville, Oklahoma on Nov. 30 across from John Salter (15-4).

Turning professional in 2007, Njokuani had been draining himself to the welterweight limit for a decade—and often unsuccessfully. The 29-year-old Muay Thai stylist missed weight four times throughout his career, developing lymph nodes along the way from such drastic cuts. In 2017, alone, he came in heavy twice: five pounds over the welterweight limit against Andrey Koreshkov and, before that, unable to even meet a 175-pound catchweight with Melvin Guillard.

December 2017, though, marked a successful 185-pound debut for Njokuani. At Bellator 189, he battled Hisako Kato to a unanimous-decision verdict. All 6-foot-3-inches of him didn’t look the least bit undersized or overpowered opposite a lifetime middleweight who can crack. (Kato holds a knockout over notable striker Joe Schilling, who handed Njokuani his first pro-kickboxing loss.)

Njokuani established his own fighting range with front kicks and rattled Kato with a straight right hand in the second period. Out of the Thai plum, in full control of his shorter opponent, he drove knees into the veteran’s midsection.

Before making his Bellator debut in 2015, Njokuani traded leather with every strand of martial artist competing across some of the country’s premier regional outfits. Between Tachi Palace Fights and formerly Resurrection Fighting Alliance, he folded UFC bit player Alan Jouban with a body kick in 2011, winning by Round 2 TKO, before earning a decision over another UFC standout, Max Griffin.

Njokuani reeled four consecutive victories to open his Bellator career. Eventually a TKO loss to Koreshkov snapped the streak. But it was a 21-second knockout of Andre Fialho, at Bellator 167, that propelled Njokuani to the top of the bill.

Headlining Bellator 171, in December 2017, Njokuani outpointed Guillard. First staving off his man’s blistering start with sharp body kicks, then pummeling Guillard on the ground to close out the third stanza.

On Friday’s main event, Njokuani was originally meeting the murderous-punching Melvin Manhoef. But an injury, announced at the beginning of November, allowed Salter to step in on short-notice.

Salter, 33, was riding a seven-fight wins streak just two months ago. But, in September, a loss to Gegard Mousasi’s latest challenger Rafael Lovato Jr. pumped the brakes on the accomplished grappler’s winning ways. In 2010, Salter was dismissed from the UFC—going 1-3 in the Octagon. However, his track record remains impressive: 10-2 going back to 2011, including submissions over Kendall Grove and Brandon Halsey.

Naturally, the substitution altered Njokuani’s gameplan.

“It’s a whole different fight,” Njokuani told MMA Junkie’s John Morgan. “We trained like six weeks for a brawler, and got switched to a southpaw jiu-jitsu guy.”

In contrast, the Njokuani-Manhoef matchup had fireworks written all over. Whereas Salter presents Njokuani with a threat on the mat, Manhoef’s legendary knockout prowess was guaranteed warmongering on the feet. Over 40 years old, of course, the kickboxing vagabond’s punch resistance is minimal. So Njokuani was in prime position to add to the family highlight reel.

Dubbed “The Assassin,” Anthony is older by nine years and put the family name on the map fighting through the WEC and the UFC, engaging in a war to end all wars in 2011 with Edson Barboza. (The aggressive display easily earned the two Fight of the Night honors at UFC 128.) But he hasn’t competed since 2016, dropping his last five fights.

Both brothers are Saekson Muay Thai products out of Texas, by way of Nigeria, comfortable dishing out punches, knees, kicks, elbows and everything in between. Very much like his older brother, “Chidi Bang Bang” is tremendous action to behold when engaging. But too much like his brother, he often falls into lulls.

Last year, Njokuani was forced to climb weight and must now ascend beyond the expectations that come with his namesake.

Taller, with longer arms, than his brother, as if bred to continue a violent lineage, he’s no longer an upgrade of just Anthony, but now an amelioration of his former self. Once a drained welterweight more concerned with health issues than the man across from him, there’s only one Njokuani now.

No longer in his brother’s shadow, no longer a welterweight—back on Bellator’s biggest stage.

Photo: Youtube Screenshot