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Roller Is Njokuani’s stepping stone to title shot

by jeff cain/mmaweekly.com

Anthony Njokuani (12-2) is not the same fighter he was when he arrived in World Extreme Cagefighting, losing his debut to Ben Henderson by guillotine choke at WEC 38 in January 2009.

“When I first got to the WEC, I was like a fish out of water. I didn’t know what the hell, how the hell, how to act or anything. I was pretty much lost,” Njokuani told MMAWeekly.com. “Now, as time goes by, I’m extremely comfortable. I know everybody there and it helps me to be able to focus now.”

Since the loss to Henderson, Njokuani has put together three Knockout of the Night performances in a row. He takes on Shane Roller at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento on Saturday on the organization’s first pay-per-view card, WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber, in what is likely a top contender’s bout in the lightweight division.

Njokuani sees the match-up as a test to prove he can hang with the top guys and an opportunity to show that he’s worthy of a title shot against the winner of the co-main event between Ben Henderson and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone; the only two fighters who hold wins over the Nigerian.

“This is a test that I need, and this is a test that I want because if I win this, it also lets me know that I’m up there with these guys,” said the 30-year-old athlete. “Shane Roller is a great wrestler and a great boxer. If I pass him than I know I can stand with anybody else.”

With a win, Njokuani will likely be next in line for a title shot and welcomes a rematch with either Henderson or Cerrone and doesn’t care which one wins on Saturday.

“Now it’s going to be a totally different fight if it’s me fighting Cowboy or it’s me fighting Ben,” commented the Las Vegas resident.

“The first time I fought Cowboy I was a person who was just fighting to fight. If you called me up I was going to go fight. They called me up and I wasn’t prepared at all. I was just a kickboxer at the time with a little jiu-jitsu, not as much as he had at the time,” Njokuani said about his 2007 loss to Cerrone in Ring of Fire.

“When I first fought Ben, I wasn’t training for Ben. I was training for Eddie Ratcliff, so I barely did any jiu-jitsu at the time,” said the lightweight contender. “Fighting those two guys now would be a totally different fight.”

But before Njokuani can get a rematch with either Henderson or Cerrone, he has to get past a game Shane Roller on Saturday.

The game plan is simple, to keep the fight standing and find an opening to knock Roller out.

“The eagle’s on the lookout,” stated Njokuani. “I’m looking for those openings. That’s pretty much what I’m set for.”