This weekend Dana White’s promotion returns home to UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, with exciting matchups at UFC Vegas 104. Of course, the Marvin Vettori and Roman Dolidze rematch in the main event is what fans are looking forward to, but there is also Chidi Njokuani vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos on the horizon.

The UFC welterweight bout will see two veteran fighters with a high record enter the cage. For dos Santos, it’s his first fight in 2025 after he won his last fight against Zach Scroggin. He has been in this game since 2015 and has put together a solid tenure in UFC. Njokuani is no less impressive. He won his last fight against Jared Gooden. Dos Santos told MMA Junkie, “I was really happy (with this matchup). A good opponent makes for a good fight. I’m very excited for this fight.” So, let’s see who might win.

UFC Vegas 104: Chidi Njokuani vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos’ stats

Njokuani enters this fight in Dana White‘s promotion with an MMA record of 24-10 and 5-3 in the UFC. He also has an average of  4.59 significant strikes and a striking accuracy of 63%. The welterweight star absorbs  2.67 strikes with a defense of 56%. Even though he has not shown a lot of grappling prowess, he does have a good takedown defense.

On the other hand, Dos Santos has an MMA record of 25-8-1 and 11-4-1 in the UFC.  With an average of 4.33 significant strikes per minute, he has a striking accuracy of 41%. Dos Santos is absorbing 3.41 strikes and has a striking defense of 56%.  His strength that he can use against ‘Bang Bang’ is his grappling. ‘Capoeira’ has an average of 0.70 takedowns every 15 minutes. His takedown defense is better, amounting to 68%.

Naturally, dos Santos seems to be the slight favorite in this fight and since the last fights of the duo have gone the distance, people expect the same for this one.

Njokuani vs. dos Santos breakdown and prediction

Njokuani bears +155 odds as the underdog, which presents a perfect opportunity for the betting game to favor him. Meanwhile, dos Santos is entering as the favorite at -185 and has a versatile fighting style. ‘Bang Bang’ has formidable striking prowess as is seen above from the stats and numbers. His last fight was a straight victory over Gooden with his precision in striking starkly visible to the audience.

On the other hand, dos Santos is stepping into this fight reflecting his confidence after a win over Scroggin that showcased his striking with tactical grappling effectively. Interestingly, his nickname ‘Capoeira’ comes from the unique dance-fighting style from Brazil. Capoeira is more than a mere moniker and fighting style for the Brazilian.  Zaleski is one of the very rare fighters in the promotion who actively utilizes Capoeira in his fighting style and this is one of the main reasons why he has the moniker.

Now Njokuani does have a good reach and striking arsenal that can be a challenge for his opponent. Njokuani’s striking precision can fend off the advances of pressure from dos Santos and he can be good on the feet. However, dos Santos does have some unpredictability in his style along with his grappling arsenal.

Although the grappling is not overwhelming but it is better than Njokuani’s. If dos Santos can manage to close the distance and take the fight to the ground, he could mitigate Njokuani’s striking advantage and shift the momentum in his favor. So with such versatile ammo up their sleeve, who do you think will win?