Welterweights Chidi Njokuani and Joel Alvarez closed out the UFC 330 preliminary card in Philadelphia on Saturday.
Njokuani had taken an extra attempt, but ultimately made weight for the 170lb fight. He was a former middleweight, taking on a former lightweight in Alvarez, who looked anything but small in the cage.
Njokuani held center and attacked with leg kicks early in the fight, occasionally throwing to the thigh and midsection. Alvarez answered with his hands, but Chidi connected with a jab, snapping Alvarez’s head back.
The pair continued to trade kicks, and single punches, through the midway mark of the opening frame. Alvarez fired a spinning back kick that nearly connected to the side of the head, with about two minutes still on the clock. Njokuani was unfazed, however. Not a ton of action in the final minutes, much to the displeasure of the Philly crowd.
Those fans weren’t much happier through the opening of round two, with the pair feinting, throwing single strikes, and at times doing little more than staring one another down. That brought out the boo-birds. Njokuani did work in more leg kicks, and would occasionally push forward. They did exchange at the midway mark, but it was more of the same to the third.
After a number of high-octane prelims, the fans at the Xfinity Mobile Arena were still restless in round three. The pair clinched up along the fence in the third, but there was no takedown to be found and they moved back to center. There, Chidi Njokuani continued to work his kicks. Alvarez would return fire, but with his legs chewed up, he was tentative and often found retreating. And stepping rather gingerly. They’d go to the scorecard, the end of the fight met with another resounding chorus of boos. Not surprisingly, Njokuani earned the unanimous decision win.
Official Result: Chidi Njokuani def. Joel Alvarez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
