We are headed into another UFC Fight Night straight off an exciting pay-per-view, UFC 273, which will feature a fight between two rising Light Heavyweights, Devin Clark, and William Knight, who are moving up to lock fists against each other this weekend.
This Fight Night will feature two Welterweight contenders in the main event; Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad. But we will focus on the prelims of this event, which features Devin Clark and William Knight.
Devin Clark vs. William Knight: Tale of the Tape
Devin Clark | vs. | William Knight |
31 | Age | 33 |
18 | Fights | 14 |
12 | Wins | 11 |
6 | Losses | 3 |
3 | KO’s | 8 |
1 | Subs | 1 |
6′ 0 | Height (in) | 5′ 10 |
75 | Reach (in) | 73 |
Fight Breakdown
This weekend, Devin Clark (12-6) enters the cage after a skid of consecutive defeats. He put together a solid 3-1 run after suffering a wild knockout loss to Aleksandar Rakic. Clark will have the size advantage of two inches of height and reach on “Knightmare.”
Clark has been inside the Octagon with some of the best the division has to offer. After all, half of his defeats in his career came against Jan Blachowicz, Aleksandar Rakic, and Anthony Smith.
Clark’s biggest issue is the lack of stopping power in his hands. He doesn’t have a single stoppage win during his time with the UFC, and it’s virtually impossible to win in a higher weight class when someone lacks the power to win in a striking match.
Meanwhile, William Knight’s (11-3) second Contender Series knockout led to a 2-1 UFC start, including a bonus-winning, and a phenomenal one-punch knockout of Fabio Cherant. Things didn’t go quite as smoothly against Maxim Grishin, as Knight missed weight, and came in 12 pounds heavy before dropping a unanimous decision. Eight of his nine finishes have come by knockout.
Who will leave the Cage victorious?
Devin Clark enters this fight coming off two losses, first against Anthony Smith via first-round triangle choke, followed by a unanimous decision loss to Ion Cutelaba where he suffered a horrific jaw injury. It is yet to be seen whether or not he can bounce back from that injury and fight with the same prowess he possessed before.
The polar opposite of Clark, Knight has proven to be an all-or-nothing knockout artist. Also, his chin has been tested and his durability has proven to be quite hard for a fighter who prefers to stand and bang, but Knight lacks the secondary skills to defeat better opposition.
On the other hand, William Knight recently lost to Maxim Grishin at UFC 271 where he struggled with the weight cut and missed the Light-Heavyweight limit. But Knight is a more explosive, athletic, and active fighter, so an early finish via KO/TKO is expected.
Being a little undersized, Knight stands just 5’10” but with a 73″ reach. So, this matchup might suit him nicely given that Clark is 6’0″ and has a 75″ reach. Knight is surely going to be ultra-aggressive in search of a finish perhaps in the early rounds. And, Clark, will likely try to grapple his way to a win.
PREDICTION: William Knight via Stoppage