MMA Preview – Marc-Andre Barriault vs Chidi Njokuani at UFC Fight Night 200
MARC-ANDRE BARRIAULT VS CHIDI NJOKUANI FACTS
When is UFC Fight Night 200? Saturday 5th February, 2022 - 22:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 200? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 200? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC events
What channel is UFC Fight Night 200 on? BT Sport 2
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 200? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
MARC-ANDRE BARRIAULT VS CHIDI NJOKUANI LOWDOWN
Marc-Andre Barriault (13-4(1)) has finally displayed the form that made him a double champion for TKO. He arrived to the UFC with high hopes sitting on a record of 11-1 however, the start of his campaign could not have gone much worse losing every fight in 2019. He lost three decisions to Andrew Sanchez, Krzysztof Jotko and Jun Yong Park. He showed a lot of character bouncing back with a TKO win over Oskar Piechota (2020) but it was overturned to a ‘no contest’ after popping for ostarine. So, four fights into his UFC career, he was still without a win but rallied with a brilliant TKO over Abu Azaitar (2021) and followed that up with a unanimous decision over Dalcha Lungiambula (2021).
He welcomes Chidi Njokuani (20-7) to the big time who is fresh off his impressive showing on the Contender Series back in September. He put Mario Filipe de Sousa away with nasty elbows to make it two TKO’s in a row after finishing Cristhian Torres with knees and punches. Those wins came with huge relief as he was coming off two tough losses for Bellator – a submission to John Salter (2018) and a unanimous decision to Rafael Carvalho (2019).
MARC-ANDRE BARRIAULT VS CHIDI NJOKUANI PREDICTION
Njokuani is a talented and experienced fighter, but this is a tough debut especially as Barriault has found his mojo now.
Njokuani is a brilliant striker with knockout power. He will have the advantage when it comes to speed, range and movement with a dangerous variety of strikes. However, his fight with Salter was a worry after getting taken down and submitted.
Barriault is a grinding beast, and he will try and subdue the weapons on Njokuani by tying him up in his clinch and pinning him up against the fence. If the Canadian drags him down to the canvas, he has the weight to control him on the ground and rain down the punches.
Njokuani is certainly UFC calibre, and we expect him to feature on some highlight reels soon, but we feel Barriault’s durability is the key. He has never been knocked out and if he can close the distance, he can shut Njokuani down for three rounds.
Prediction: Barriault via Decision - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
