Bellator 182 kicks off on August 25th at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino, and one of the head turning fights on the fight card is that of Andrey Koreshkov vs. Chidi Njokuani.
On paper, the fight is well balanced considering that fighters are almost identical in weight, height and their competitive records. Koreshkov weighs in at 171 lbs and stands 6 feet tall. While he has one pound over Njokuani, when it comes to height, Njoukuani is 3 inches taller at 6’ 3”.
Koreshkov has an admirable record of 19 – 2. Of his 19 victories, 53% of them have come via the way of a knockout. Both his losses, on the other hand, were also conceded by the way of knockouts. Njoukuani has a pretty solid record as well with 17 wins and 4 losses so far. Of his 17 victories, 10 of them (59%) have come via the way of knockouts. Of his four losses, Njoukuani has himself been on the receiving end of two knockouts.
Koreshkov is an atheletic fighter who banks on his striking prowess and agility mainly. He also great on his feet and can certainly pack a punch through either hand. He is pretty solid standing up which is not to say he does not mean business when the fights goes to the ground. Don’t be mistaken, Koreshkov can certainly ground and pound. However, if there are some things holding Koreshkov back, it would probably be the fact that he has suffered a couple of knockouts in recent years and even his last three victories have not been as decisive as he would have wished (they were all via decision). His form and confidence may not exactly by sky high, but Koreshkov is certainly going to be eager and hungry to change that.
Coming to Njokuani, he has a background in kickboxing and is also highly athletic himself. His legs are deadly and he’s been able to kick his opponents and knock them out a staggering four times. His recent form has been flawless too, and this is where he might have the edge.
We will go with a prediction of Njokuani to win by a knockout in the later rounds.