A 33-year-old, 28-fight veteran, Njokuani landed a contract with a third-round stoppage win over Mario Sousa last season on Dana White’s Contender Series. The well-travelled middleweight is an electric striker, just like his older brother Anthony, and has a wealth of experience, making him an intriguing new addition to the 185-pound weight class.
Barriault struggled out of the gate in the UFC, dropping three decisions in eight months after arriving on an eight-fight winning streak as a two-division champion at home under the TKO banner. But the French-Canadian got things moving in the right direction last March with a win over Abu Azaitar, moved to South Florida to train full-time at Sanford MMA, and record a second straight victory in September, sending him into this one primed to keep things moving forward.
This is a terrific matchup for each man, as Njokuani gets the chance to show right out of the chute where he fits in the UFC middleweight ranks, while Barriault has the opportunity to face the kind of battle-tested veteran he struggled with to start his UFC career. Whoever emerges victorious will take a solid step forward in the 185-pound weight class and set themselves up for an even greater opportunity later this year.
Alexis Davis vs Julija Stoliarenko
Alexis Davis makes the walk for the 32nd time in her career, aiming to get back into the win column when she takes on gritty Ultimate Fighter alum Julija Stoliarenko.
The Canadian veteran Davis made an impressive return to the bantamweight ranks last February, registering a unanimous decision win over Sabina Mazo to snap a three-fight slide. Unfortunately, her run of success was more of a jog, as she landed on the opposite side of a similar verdict against Pannie Kianzad less than four months later.
The 28-year-old Stoliarenko, who competed on Season 28 of the long-running reality TV competition, dropped her second straight UFC bout last summer, battling hard before ultimately tapping out in a clash with Julia Avila. She has the kind of “in your face” style that should pair well with Davis, who has never shied away from getting into a dust-up, and will look to secure her first UFC triumph this weekend.
Can the Canadian secure a February victory for the second straight year or will the third time be the charm for Stoliarenko?
Jailton Almeida vs Danilo Marques
It’s an all-Brazilian affair in the light heavyweight division as Jailton Almeida makes his UFC debut opposite Danilo Marques on Saturday’s prelims.
A member of the DWCS Class of ’21, Almeida impressed last fall with his second-round stoppage win over Nasrudin Nasrudinov, handing the Russian his first career loss while pushing his own winning streak to nine. The 30-year-old has earned finishes in all 14 of his victories and was one of the more intriguing new additions to the roster coming off the last season of the Contender Series, so it will be interesting to see how he performs in his debut this weekend.
The 36-year-old Marques earned victories in each of his first two UFC appearances, grinding out Khadis Ibragimov in his debut before starting last year with a submission win over Mike Rodriguez. Though he controlled the first two rounds of his fight with Kennedy Nzechukwu last June, the veteran ended up on the wrong side of the results, getting stopped just 20 seconds into the third.
