William Knight going to ‘handle business’ at CFFC 80
Not one to scout his opponents too much prior to a fight, light-heavyweight William Knight didn’t know much about Jamelle Jones going into their bout this past October at CES 59, but it didn’t much matter to him.
With about 30 seconds left in the first round of their bout, Knight was able to pick up a TKO win over Jones and raise his record to 6-0 in the process. He’ll look to add to his record at Friday’s CFFC 80.
“I go out there and fight, no matter who I’m fighting,” Knight told MMAWeekly.com. “I don’t watch tape on people because at the end of the day you never know who you’re fighting because s**t can switch up. I went out there fighting my fight: striking, and then if it goes to grappling, so be it.
“Me not knowing (Jones) was a two time NCAA champion in wrestling, I just went out there with the thought that he’s fought a dude who was on Contender Series and things like that; like he’s gotten to that caliber. So I wasn’t fighting no pushover. I went out and fought him the same I would any other fight; pick my shots; fight my fight.”
For Knight, the fact that he doesn’t scout his opposition isn’t a big deal. As he points out, while others might find it preferable, it’s not what works for him.
“I hear Jon Jones and them do it, but I’m not them, what works for them don’t work for me,” said Knight. “Sometimes you train the mind not to lose; you don’t train the mind to win.
“At the end of the day everyone’s different. It’s the coach’s job to research what they do, but then it’s also not their job to put into their (fighter’s) head that they’ve got to look for this, because that can fuck them up. I don’t do it.”
Following a short turnaround, Knight (6-0) will have his second fight in two months on Friday when he takes on Tafon Nchukwi (1-0) in a main card heavyweight bout at CFFC 80 in Hampton, Virginia.
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“I believe I’m fighting at 225 pounds, so it’s not I’ve got to cut weight or anything,” Knight said. “I’m fighting at a weight that I train at, so this is going to be a more vicious fight. I’m just going to go in there as me.
“The person I worry about the most is myself. I’ve to make sure I’m healthy. I’ve got to push the pace. I’ve got to be first. I have to do my part. At the end of the day my pace will never drop, it will increase if anything. Going out there and handling business is what I’m about to do.”
For Knight the main goal for the coming year is to remain as busy as possible.
“As soon as I’m done with the fight I want to be on to the next one, that’s it,” said Knight. “In 2017 I fought eight times MMA, four Muay Thai, did every wrestling tournament they had to offer and four NAGAs. At the end of the day I’ve got to do what I do to stay active.
“I love what I do. It’s fun. I get to go in the cage, I get to perform, I get to entertain, and I get to excite people. Win, lose, or draw, I go out there to out-perform my last performance. If I continue to do what I’ve done so far, then there’s going to be a lot of fucked up bodies (of my opponents).”
