Published 02/20/2023, 8:03 AM EST
UFC light heavyweight William Knight’s performance at the Apex against Marcin Prachnio drew quite a lot of reactions from fans of the sport. Knight, who barely engaged during the fight, was heavily criticized after Prachnio punished him relentlessly with leg kicks throughout all three rounds.
As people watching wondered what exactly was going on in the mind of the fighter, a video clip showing how his corner tried to get him going started doing the rounds online. The clip showed his coach visibly frustrated and demanding some sort of action from the 34-year-old. Although it was evident that his team tried pushing him, Knight clearly had something going on that left him frozen and nonreactive throughout the 15 minutes. Unfortunately, the fighter has revealed that he has even received death threats following his last outing.
UFC fighter Terrance McKinney freshly shared the clip drawing multiple reactions from fans. McKinney and fans commended the coach for keeping it real with Knight, although his performance continued to get criticized by the fans.
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William Knight loses to Marcin Prachnio in bizarre fashion, barely throws any strike
Considering that both the light heavyweights were known to be explosive and powerful, the fight was expected to be one of the better matchups on that night. What followed was an extremely underwhelming performance from the American, as he decided to not engage at all. Prachnio’s strategy of maintaining distance and kicking the leg plus attacking the body also contributed to Knight’s dilemma.
As this sequence continued, he found it more and more difficult to engage. Considering that his lead leg was also damaged early on and without the ability to put weight on it, Knight eventually just followed the strategy of standing and not engaging till the clock ran out.
Fans watching the fight were clearly shocked, as it’s quite rare that a fighter comes out and just stands for his opponent to kick him to a victory. Now the clip from the corner cam showed how disappointed Knight’s coaches were during the fight as well.
Fans react to Knight’s corner encouraging him between rounds
The 34-year-old’s coach came out demanding him to strike first as he shouted at Knight. The frustration was clearly evident as he asked the fighter to engage, as not doing so would end up him losing the fight.
McKinney, while sharing the clip, commended the coach for his work and described how a loss is a collective experience for a team. Fans reacting to it also voiced their agreement while some continued to slam Knight for his attitude.
McKinney’s tweet read: “Props to William Knights corner for keeping it real during commercial break. Our teams prepare for the fight with us and the loss hits them too”
Most of the tweets by fans were pointing out the corner’s good work.
One MMA fan stated that this was the worst fight that he has ever experienced.
Another individual even asked Knight to start a bodybuilding career considering his size.
There was clearly no end to the disappointment fans felt over his performance as he continued to get slandered.
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Ultimately, what went wrong for William Knight during the fight is something that the fighter himself has to recognize and improve on for his next bout. But despite his underwhelming performance, there is no denying that his cornerman tried his best under those circumstances.
DIVE DEEPER
“I Froze Up, I F*cked Up, I Lost”-UFC Vegas 69 Fighter William Knight Responds to Backlash After Lackluster Performance
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What do you think went wrong for the fighter during the bout? Was it nerves or was Prachnio’s strategy a brilliant one that made sure Knight couldn’t engage? Or is the UFC going to cut Knight due to this performance? Let us know in the comment section.
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