Nigeria's Chidi Njokuani Suffers 69-Seconds submission loss to Jake Matthews at UFC Nashville

Nigeria's Chidi Njokuani experienced a swift and decisive defeat, tapping out to a rear-naked choke from Australian fighter Jake Matthews in just 69 seconds during the preliminary card of UFC Nashville at Bridgestone Arena.

This loss marks a dramatic halt to Njokuani's recent upward trajectory particularly among Nigerian fight fans who had high hopes for the welterweight contender.

Known for his devastating striking and knockout Njokuani entered the octagon with confidence, riding a three-fight win streak.

His most recent victory came in a dominant Round 2 knockout against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos earlier this year.

The 36-year-old Nigerian-American, born in Lagos and trained in the U.S., aimed to leverage his Muay Thai skills to dictate the fight's pace.

However, Matthews had other plans resulting in a quick but strategic end to the fight.

Njokuani launched a series of hard kicks, attempting to establish his range but Matthews quickly closed the distance, using his wrestling prowess to take the fight to the ground.

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The Australian seamlessly transitioned to Njokuani's back, locking in a textbook rear-naked choke—a technique.

Despite Njokuani's efforts to stand and shake Matthews off, the hold remained tight, forcing the tap at the 1:09 mark of Round 1.

The loss drops his UFC record to 5-4 and snaps his momentum at a critical juncture.

For Matthews, the victory extends his win streak to three, bringing his record to 22-7 overall and 15-7 in the UFC.

Njokuani, the focus will now shift to recovery with many speculating that his next fight will be a chance to rebound against a mid-tier opponent.