Las Vegas, NV — When the light heavyweight showdown between William Knight and Alonzo Menifield was first announced, UFC Vegas 44 was far off in the distance.
“This was a long time coming,” Knight (11-2) admitted Saturday, after earning a unanimous decision win over Menifield. “Was supposed to fight in February, then March, then I had to pick a quick fight for April, bounce back in August, now we’re here in December — nice 2021 so far.”
First Menifield, then Knight, had to pull out of the earlier dates due to COVID-19. Knight would drop a bout to Da Un Jung, then pick up a win over Fabio Cherant, before the pair finally threw down at Saturday night’s Fight Night event.
With the fight against Menifield finally having arrived, Knight told media outlets including Cageside Press that there were “no surprises. It’s just, I don’t know. It’s like, as expected but not expected. I was looking for a knockout, but I guess not everything can go your way, right?”
Knightmare certainly had his chances, mind you. “I thought I was going to finish him there at the end of round one. Then I caught him again at the end of round two. And then the same thing with round three, when it was the last minute. I was like ‘[sigh] should have done this in the beginning.'”
Credit in this case can go to both fighter and coach, which Knight likened to a game. “I’m in there, I’m like a video game, and the coach is the controller, so when he speaks, I do. He said use speed, I used speed, and it complimented my power. So I was rocking, handling business like I was supposed to. I feel like if I was loading punches, it would have been a different fight.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 44 post-fight press conference with William Knight above. More coverage can be found below.
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Vince Morales
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Claudio Puelles
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William Knight
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Cheyanne Vlismas
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Bryan Barberena
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Manel Kape
