Chidi Njokuani moves to middleweight, meets Hisaki Kato at Bellator 189

After missing weight and losing a main-event fight earlier this year, Chidi Njokuani is opting for a change in weight class for his next fight.

Njokuani (17-5 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) will move from welterweight to middleweight to take on Hisaki Kato (8-2 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) at Bellator 189, which takes place Dec. 1 at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The card airs on Spike following prelims streamed on MMAjunkie.

MMAjunkie verified the matchup with a Bellator official following an initial report from CBSSports.com.

After four consecutive wins to begin his Bellator tenure, Njokuani was granted a main event spot against former champion Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 182 in August. He came in four pounds over the welterweight limit, and the fight also did not go his way. Njokuani suffered a first-round TKO to snap a nine-fight unbeaten streak.

“Chidi Bang Bang” will attempt to rebound and make a positive introduction to the middleweight division when he takes on Kato, a noted striker who has won three straight fights and four of his past five overall.

Kato is coming off a unanimous-decision victory over Ralek Gracie at Bellator 170 in January. He’ll fight for just the second time this year when he enters the cage at Bellator 189.

The latest Bellator 189 card now includes:

• Julia Budd vs. Arlene Blancowe – for women’s featherweight title
• Chris Honeycutt vs. Rafael Lovato
• Hisaki Kato vs. Chidi Njokuani

For more on Bellator 189, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.