Main card middleweight action at UFC Vegas 98 found Chidi Njokuani and Jared Gooden both looking for their second straight victory.
A hasty exchange to open Njokuani vs. Gooden resulted in a quick takedown for Gooden, though he was unable to keep the fight grounded. Instead, Njokuani returned to his feet, with Gooden pressing his weight into him against the fence.
The action would stay there for a while, though Njokuani would reverse position, firing off a few knees and looking for an opening to inflict more damage. There was plenty of clinch work in a round that ended with the two men glaring at one another after the horn as the ref sent them to their respective corners.
More clinch work came in the second as the pair again spent a good amount of time on the fence. Njokuani fired some crushing knees to the body, in particular about three minutes in, mixing in elbows over the top as well. His strikes in the clinch quickly ran up into double digits, while Jared Gooden appeared unable to get his back off the cage.
In round three, it was Gooden pursuing a takedown about 90 seconds in, but it wasn’t to be. They then moved back to center, where Njokuani was looking deadly. Powerful punches, and a head kick attempt underscored his potential to do damage. That forced Gooden to clinch up once again. Problem was, throughout most of the fight, he’d also lost those clinch exchanges.
Official Result: Chidi Njokuani def. Jared Gooden by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
