Former UFC featherweight fighter Jason Knight has recently signed a contract with Professional Fighters League (PFL) and is expected to make his debut for the promotion in the August 27 event.
Knight had applied his trade for UFC between 2015 to 2018. He fought in 9 matches for the promotion before making a move to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC).
Ex-UFC, BKFC fighter Jason Knight signs with PFL, expected to debut on Aug. 27 card (@DamonMartin) https://t.co/glXSyzTDWF pic.twitter.com/SdL1ivs0IL
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) July 3, 2021
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He was part of 2 memorable matchups in BKFC involving UFC veteran Artem Lobov. ‘The Kid’ lost the first match but returned the favors to Lobov as he picked up a TKO win in their rematch in 2019.
He recently turned up for the bare-knuckle MMA card promoted by none other than ‘Gamebred’ Jorge Masvidal and the Gamebred Fighting Championship.
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The return to MMA was a successful one as he dispatched Charles Bennett with a first-round submission win. Further details of his MMA return under the PFL banner are under the wraps for now. But it would clear in the coming days with the promotion’s return for hosting the playoffs.
Jason Knight’s UFC career before the exit
As mentioned, Knight started his career with UFC in 2015. In a span of 8 matches, he picked up 4 wins and 4 losses apiece.
His debut match came against Tatsuya Kawajiri at The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale on December 11, 2015. He replaced Mirsad Bektic on two weeks’ notice. He lost that fight via unanimous decision.
Knight then faced Jim Alers at UFC on Fox 20 on July 23, 2016. He won the fight via split decision. The fight was awarded for the Fight of the Night.
Next up, he fought Dan Hooker on November 26, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 101. The fight was a back-and-forth affair and at last; he won via unanimous decision.
With consecutive wins, ‘The Kid’ faced Alex Caceres next at UFC on Fox 23 on January 28, 2017. He won the fight via submission in the second round. This win also gave him his first Performance of the Night bonus.
His stakes were already rising in the roster. Knight then fought Chas Skelly at UFC 211 and picked up the victory via TKO in the third round. The win earned him his second consecutive Performance of the Night award.
Knight faced Ricardo Lamas on July 29, 2017, at UFC 214. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round. This was the start of his downfall in the promotion, as he incurred a flurry of losses after this fight.
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His next three losses came against Gabriel Benitez, Makwan Amirkhani, and Jordan Rinaldi. The promotion had enough of him and they shortly released him after his last loss.
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In what we could call a turning of a new leaf, Knight is ready for his fresh start in MMA, albeit this time, under different promotion.
Will he shine under the new banner?