William Knight

Photo by Will Paul for CES MMA

William Knight predicts ‘standing KO’ in third UFC developmental deal bout

Last summer, William Knight opened the eyes of many in the MMA world — including UFC president Dana White — on the Contender Series. After being awarded a developmental deal with the UFC after his third round finish over Herdem Alacabek in August, Knight prepares for the third fight on his deal on Friday night.

“Knightmare” will face Rocky Edwards in a light heavyweight bout at CES 60. The event, which features three championship fights, takes place at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, RI and will stream on UFC Fight Pass.

Knight joined MyMMANews.com to discuss his excitement for the fight, the controversial stoppage of his last fight at CFFC 80 and how he realized — despite the defeat in his opponent’s home area — that he has a lot of fan support, being fired up to fight back in New England for CES, not caring about who his opponent it, his readiness to show his skills at his preferred weight of 205 pounds, how his developmental deal actually works and why he loves the structure of it so much, along with his expectations and goals for 2020.

In addition, the 31-year-old Knight is ready to give the fans a show on Friday night as he predicts a highlight reel finish.

“I’m just gonna let y’all know exactly how it’s gonna go,” Knight told MyMMANews.com. “Me at 205 pounds, I do have a disadvantage in height, but what people don’t realize is I’m very explosive and fast. I’m very reactive and I’m gonna keep it standing. If it goes to the ground than cool, I’m so used to going to the ground that I want to experience something else. I want to keep it standing as much as possible. I want to display my striking. I know my hands are dangerous. I know they’re dangerous.

“I promise you that [Friday night], there will be a standing knockout. I promise you this.”

Check out the full interview with William Knight ahead of his fight with Rocky Edwards Friday night at CES 60 in the video above.

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Mike Heck
Mike Heck is the a freelance MMA journalist covering the sport for a number of websites. Specializing in video interviews, Mike interviews everybody from prospects, to title contenders, to world champions, along with other influential personalities in the sport of MMA. Subscribe to his channel at https://youtube.com/mikeheckmma.