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

CFFC 80 was not William Knight’s night.

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

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 wave off the contest. Knight profusely contested the stoppage. Until the official decision, Knight argued with the referee, but did show good sportsmanship towards Nchukwi.

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.