Tag: William Knight

Alonzo Menifield tests positive for COVID-19; UFC Fight Night 186 bout vs. William Knight postponed

Saturday’s UFC card has lost another fight due to COVID-19.

UFC Fight Night 186 is down another fight due to a positive COVID-19 test.

[autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag] vs. [autotag]William Knight[/autotag] has been removed from this Saturday’s card after a positive COVID-19 test submitted by Menifield. The fight is expected to be added to an upcoming UFC fight card in the coming weeks.

Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the cancellation Thursday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an announcement.

Menifield (9-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has been involved with a previous fight week cancellation during the COVID-19 pandemic era, however, not his own fault. Ahead of UFC on ESPN 15 last August, his fight vs. Ovince Saint Preux was scrapped when OSP presented a positive COVID test.

The fight between Menifield and Knight (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is the second UFC Fight Night 186 has lost due to COVID-19. Earlier this week, Raoni Barcelos tested positive for COVID-19, and his fight against Marcelo Rojo was canceled.

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Knight made his UFC debut Sept. 26 when he defeated Aleksa Camur by unanimous decision. Knight currently is riding a three-fight winning streak.

In 2020, Menifield lost to Devin Clark by unanimous decision in June and was knocked out by Ovince Saint Preux on Sept. 5.

With the change, the UFC Fight Night 186 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Ciryl Gane
  • Magomed Ankalaev vs. Nikita Krylov
  • Montana De La Rosa vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
  • Pedro Munhoz vs. Jimmie Rivera
  • Angela Hill vs. Ashley Yoder
  • Alex Caceres vs. Kevin Croom

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)

  • Alexander Hernandez vs. Thiago Moises
  • Ramazan Kuramagomedov vs. Alex Oliveira
  • Alexis Davis vs. Sabina Mazo
  • Vince Cachero vs. Ronnie Lawrence
  • Maxim Grishin vs. Dustin Jacoby

William Knight vs. Alonzo Menifield added to UFC Fight Night on Feb. 27

More light heavyweights will collide on Feb. 27.

The UFC has added another light heavyweight bout to its Feb. 27 lineup.

Promotional sophomore [autotag]William Knight[/autotag] and Fortis MMA standout [autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag] will square off at the UFC Fight Night event, which does not yet have a publicly known location or venue.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

After he earned a UFC development deal on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, Knight (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) punched his ticket to the promotion with a return to DWCS this past summer.

Knight made his UFC debut Sept. 26 when he defeated Aleksa Camur by unanimous decision. Knight currently is riding a three-fight winning streak.

Another alumnus of DWCS, Menifield (9-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) looks to turn his luck around and bounce back into the win column following a difficult 2020. Menifield kicked off his UFC tenure with back-to-back knockout wins over Vinicius Moreira and Paul Craig.

In his two appearances this calendar year, however, Menifield lost to Devin Clark by unanimous decision in June and was knocked out by Ovince Saint Preux on Sept. 5.

With the addition, the Feb. 27 lineup includes:

  • Jiri Prochazka vs. Dominick Reyes
  • William Knight vs. Alonzo Menifield

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William Knight details history, animosity with Aleksa Camur ahead of UFC 253

William Knight is excited to settle the score with Aleksa Camur at UFC 253 and make an impact in “rambunctious” light heavyweight division.

ABU DHABI – Ahead of UFC 253, [autotag]William Knight[/autotag] spoke with reporters Wednesday during media day.

Knight (8-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) discussed his light heavyweight bout with Aleksa Camur (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), how he was scheduled to fight Camur earlier in his career, his goals for his UFC and how the weight cut is easy after making a quick turnaround.

You can watch the full interview in the video above.

UFC 253 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

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UFC contract winner William Knight on breaking slow starts with competition getting tougher

“I really can’t keep going out there in the first round for a wake-me-up.”

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]William Knight[/autotag] knows he can’t afford any more slow starts.

Knight (8-1) earned a contract Tuesday at Dana White’s Contender Series 31 when he rallied to take out Cody Brundage in Round 1.

He found himself in trouble early when he was mounted by Brundage, but managed to reverse position and landed brutal elbows while Brundage was working for a takedown. Brundage went limp and Knight was able to get the quick finish.

Knight acknowledged he was in a bad position to start the fight and that it’s something that he has to work on, especially since he’s in the big leagues now.

“The first part of the fight, I guess you can say I was in trouble – but most of my fights I start like that,” Knight told reporters, including MMA Junkie, after his win at the UFC Apex. “It’s like a wake-me-up. So I understood the position that I was in and understood that I needed to advance fast or I would lose the fight.

“As the competition gets tougher, I would have to deal with that in the warmup room. I really can’t keep going out there in the first round for a wake-me-up round. So that’s something I’m going to deal with with my coaches.”

Knight was able to make good on his second Contender Series stint. The first time around, his stoppage win over Herdem Alacabek in August 2019 was only good enough to earn him a developmental deal.

But Knight, who since then has gone 2-1, was unfazed by the missed opportunity and wasn’t going to let it slip away from him this time.

“When I first came to the Contender Series, I guess you can say I was a bit green,” Knight. “My experience in the professional region, the professional league, wasn’t all there. So I understood where he was coming from because I was trying to count my amateur fights. But it’s just two whole different situations. So whatever came to me, I just took – so it didn’t really affect me. So to be able to come back a second time, people might look at it as, ‘Oh, man.’ But it’s definitely a great opportunity.”

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10 light heavyweights you should see compete on Dana White’s Contender Series season 4

Dana White’s Contender Series season 4 is right around the corner. Check out 10 light heavyweights who could be featured.

Dana White’s Contender Series has become a key platform for fighters on the regional scene. Since its conception, the UFC Fight Pass-turned-ESPN+ summer original removed some of the guesswork for up-and-comers trying to make it big.

With UFC president Dana White and matchmakers Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby cage-side, the stakes are high. Have an impressive, exciting win on the show, you’re in.

Rumored for a late-June 2020 start date, the fourth season of DWCS isn’t that far off almost. The lineups haven’t been announced yet, but advanced planning is underway. While there are hundreds of fighters qualified to compete on the show, we’ll narrow each divisional pool to 10 fighters who you should see compete on the show this summer.

Up next, the light heavyweights.

Ibo Aslan*

Record: 8-0
Age: 23
Height: 6’2″
Birthplace: Austria

A main training partner of light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Rakic, [autotag]Ibo Aslan[/autotag] is the next beastly light heavyweight to come out of Austria. Looking at Aslan’s physique, it’s no surprise his strength and power are above average. He fits the part. A ground-and-pound specialist, Aslan has finished the majority of his opponents inside the distance. Competing for top Austrian regional promotions Vendetta and Austrian FC, Aslan has taken out the who’s who of fighters in his home country – and he’ll look to continue that success on the summer series.

* = Aslan’s participation in DWCS season 4 has already been confirmed

Dustin Jacoby*

Record: 11-5
Age: 31
Height: 6’4″
Birthplace: Fort Morgan, Colo.

Fans who only follow mainstream promotions may recognize [autotag]Dustin Jacoby[/autotag]. A pro MMA fighter since 2010, Jacoby has competed in the UFC (twice), WSOF (once), Titan FC (once), and Bellator (twice). Jacoby has also competed 11 times in GLORY kickboxing. Despite some struggles in his kickboxing career early on, Jacoby turned a corner in 2015. He won his last five GLORY fights – all of which he finished inside the distance. The Factory X member will test the waters at 205 pounds and propel himself to the ranks of the UFC.

* = Jacoby’s participation in DWCS season 4 has already been confirmed

More fighters on the next page:

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CES MMA 60: William Knight booked for third fight on UFC development deal

UFC development deal signee William Knight has his next opponent.

[autotag]William Knight[/autotag]’s eighth professional fight is in his sights.

Knight (6-1 MMA), a UFC development deal signee,  will take on [autotag]Rocky Edwards[/autotag] at CES MMA 60, the promotion announced Friday.

The event takes place Friday, Jan. 24 at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I. The main card streams on UFC Fight Pass.

Coming off his first loss, Connecticut’s Knight will look to get back to his winning ways. Knight took a one-off with Cage Fury Fighting Championships in late November and suffered a first-round TKO loss to Tafon Nchukwi.

Prior to the defeat, Knight had won all six of his professional bouts by KO/TKO. At Dana White’s Contender Series in mid-August, Knight earned a UFC development deal as a result of his third-round ground-and-pound stoppage of Herdem Alacabek.

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As for his opponent, Edwards (12-9-1 MMA) enters CES MMA 60 having won three out of his most recent five outings. In late November, Ohio’s Edwards submitted William Walker by first-round armbar at MMAX FC 6.

With the latest addition, the CES MMA 60 lineup now includes:

  • Matt Bessette vs. Charles Cheeks III
  • Greg Rebello (c) vs. TBA
  • Johnny Lopez vs. Blaine Shutt
  • Rocky Edwards vs. William Knight
  • John Gotti III vs. Marcos Lloreda
  • Giorgi Kudukashvili vs. Richie Santiago
  • Delaney Owen vs. Marisa Messer-Belenchia
  • Tom Evans vs. Zach Johnson
  • Hilarie Rose vs. TBA
  • Ashiek Ajim vs. TBA
  • Eddie George vs. TBA
  • Hugh McKenna vs. TBA

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Tafon Nchukwi finishes UFC development deal signee William Knight in first round at CFFC 80

In the second fight of his UFC development deal, William Knight suffered a TKO loss at CFFC 80.

CFFC 80 was not [autotag]William Knight[/autotag]’s night.

In the second fight of his UFC development deal, Knight (6-1 MMA) suffered a TKO loss to [autotag]Tafon Nchukwi[/autotag] at 2:30 of round one. The fight served as the co-main event of the evening.

From the opening bell, Knight’s grapple-heavy gameplan was evident. Despite getting an early clinch, Knight was unable to drag Nchukwi (3-0 MMA) to the ground. Single leg and double leg attempts were unsuccessful – no matter how hard Knight strained.

After landing a hard spinning back elbow, Nchukwi further halted Knight’s momentum with two elbows and a knee. Muscling Knight to one knee, Nchukwi trapped his opponent’s arm. From there, Nchukwi landed four hard punches to Knight’s temple.

The referee saw enough and stepped in to waive off the contest. The stoppage was not to Knight’s liking, who profusely contested. Until the official decision, Knight argued with the referee – but did show good sportsmanship towards Nchukwi.

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The loss is Knight’s first as a professional. The Connecticut-based fighter earned a development deal on “Dana White’s Contender Series” in August. In the first fight of his deal at CES 59 in October, Knight defeated Jamelle Jones by strikes.

As for Nchukwi, the TKO is his third in as many professional MMA fights. The Cameroon-born fighter is only 25 years of age and went undefeated as an amateur before turning pro in March.

CFFC 80 took place Friday at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Virginia. The main card streamed on UFC Fight Pass.