Jason Knight (fighter)

For other people with the same name, see Jason Knight (disambiguation).

Jason Knight
Born	(1992-07-14) July 14, 1992 (age 31) D'Iberville, Mississippi, U.S.
Other names	Hick Diaz
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight	145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st)
Division	Featherweight (2009–present) Lightweight (2011–2014)
Reach	71 in (180 cm)
Stance	Southpaw
Fighting out of	D'Iberville, Mississippi, U.S.
Team	Alan Belcher MMA Club American Top Team D'Iberville [1]
Rank	Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu [2]
Years active	2009–2018, 2021–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total	31
Wins	23
By knockout	4
By submission	15
By decision	4
Losses	8
By knockout	2
By decision	6
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Jason Knight (born July 14, 1992) is an American bare knuckle boxer and a professional mixed martial artist. He has previously competed in the UFC and Titan FC.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Knight began competing as an amateur at the age of 14, and fought ten times before turning professional in 2009 at age 17. ^[3] He then compiled a record of 16–1 before being signed by the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Knight made his promotional debut against Tatsuya Kawajiri on December 11, 2015, at The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale, replacing Mirsad Bektić on two weeks' notice. ^[4] He lost the fight via unanimous decision. ^[5]

Knight faced Jim Alers on July 23, 2016, at UFC on Fox 20. ^[6] He won the fight via split decision. ^[7] The combat was awarded the Fight of the Night bonus. ^[8]

Knight next faced Dan Hooker on November 26, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 101. He won the fight via unanimous decision. ^[9]

Knight faced Alex Caceres on January 28, 2017, at UFC on Fox 23. He won the fight via submission in the second round, ^[10] winning his first Performance of the Night bonus. ^[11]

Knight faced Chas Skelly on May 13, 2017, at UFC 211. ^[12] He won the fight via TKO in the third round. ^[13] The win also earned Knight his second consecutive Performance of the Night bonus award. ^[14]

Knight faced Ricardo Lamas on July 29, 2017, at UFC 214. ^[15] He lost the fight via TKO in the first round. ^[16]

Knight faced Gabriel Benítez on December 9, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 123. ^[17] He lost the fight via unanimous decision. ^[18]

Knight faced Makwan Amirkhani on May 27, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 130. ^[19] Despite four successful knockdowns during the three-round fight, Knight lost via a contentious split decision. ^[20]

Knight faced Jordan Rinaldi on November 3, 2018, at UFC 230. ^[21] He lost the fight via unanimous decision and was subsequently released by the organization. ^{[22] [23]}

Post-UFC career

Following the stint in bare-knuckle boxing, Knight was expected to make his return to mixed martial arts against Christopher Ramírez at iKon Fighting Federation 5 on March 5, 2021. ^[24] However, Ramírez had to withdraw from the fight due to problems getting into the United States and was replaced by Taurean Bogguess. ^[25] In turn, Bogguess withdrew during the fight week and was replaced by Cliff Wright. ^[26] Knight won the bout via second-round submission. ^[27]

On May 29, 2021, it was announced that Knight is scheduled to headline the inaugural event of Jorge Masvidal's Gamebred Fighting Championship against Charles Bennett on June 18, 2021. ^[28] The bout had typical mixed martial arts rules, but was contested without gloves. ^[28] Knight was knocked down early on, but went on to win the fight via rear-naked choke submission in round one. ^[29]

Following the successful bout in Gamebred FC, Knight signed with the Professional Fighters League and faced Bobby Moffett at PFL 9 on August 27, 2021. ^{[30] [31]} At weigh-ins, Moffett weighed in at 148.2 pounds, missing weight by 2.2 pounds. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Moffett was fined a percentage of his purse, which went to Knight. ^[32] He lost the bout via unanimous decision. ^[33]

On May 19, 2022, Knight headlined Gulf Coast MMA 15 against Rey Trujillo. Knight defeated his opponent by a first round TKO. ^[34]

The Ultimate Fighter 31

In mid March 2023, it was announced that Knight would be competing in the thirty-first season of The Ultimate Fighter. ^[35]

In the quarterfinal Knight faced Titan FC Lightweight Champion Landon Quinones, and won the fight via a triangle choke submission in the first round. ^[36]

In the semi-final, Knight faced fellow teammate Kurt Holobaugh, and lost the fight via TKO in the second round. ^[37]

Gamebred Fighting Championship

Knight faced Randy Costa at Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 6 on November 10, 2023. ^[38] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. ^[39]

Bare knuckle boxing

Following his UFC release, Knight signed a one-fight contract with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. ^[40] He faced Artem Lobov in the main event of Bare Knuckle FC 5 on April 6, 2019. ^[41] Knight lost the bout and several of his teeth. ^{[42] [43]}

Knight was expected to headline Bare Knuckle FC 7 on August 10, 2019, against Leonard Garcia. ^[44] However on July 15, 2019, Knight revealed on his social media that he was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a rib injury. ^[45]

Knight defeated Artem Lobov in a rematch headlining Bare Knuckle FC 9 on November 16, 2019, earning the victory by TKO in the fifth round. ^[46]

Personal life

In 2012, Knight was arrested and charged with grand larceny. ^[47]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Jim Alers
  • Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Alex Caceres, vs. Chas Skelly
• Atlas Fights
  • Atlas Fights Featherweight Championship (One time)
    • One successful title defense
  • Interim Atlas Fights Featherweight Championship (One time)

Bare-knuckle boxing

• Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship
  • BKFC Fight of the Year 2019 vs. Artem Lobov 1

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown

31 matches	23 wins	8 losses
By knockout	4	2
By submission	15	0
By decision	4	6

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Loss	23–8	Randy Costa	KO (punches)	Gamebred Fighting Championship 6	November 10, 2023	1	1:41	Biloxi, Mississippi, United States	Bare knuckle MMA.
Win	23–7	Rey Trujillo	TKO (punches)	Gulf Coast MMA 15	May 19, 2022	1	2:05	Biloxi, Mississippi, United States
Loss	22–7	Bobby Moffett	Decision (unanimous)	PFL 9	August 27, 2021	3	5:00	Hollywood, Florida, United States	Catchweight (148.2 lb) bout; Moffett missed weight.
Win	22–6	Charles Bennett	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Gamebred Fighting Championships 1	June 19, 2021	1	3:01	Biloxi, Mississippi, United States	Bare Knuckle MMA.
Win	21–6	Cliff Wright	Submission (rear-naked choke)	iKon Fighting Federation 5	March 5, 2021	2	1:48	Biloxi, Mississippi, United States
Loss	20–6	Jordan Rinaldi	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 230	November 3, 2018	3	5:00	New York City, New York, United States
Loss	20–5	Makwan Amirkhani	Decision (split)	UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Till	May 27, 2018	3	5:00	Liverpool, England
Loss	20–4	Gabriel Benítez	Decision (unanimous)	UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Ortega	December 9, 2017	3	5:00	Fresno, California, United States	Knight was deducted one point in round 1 for biting Benítez's fingers.
Loss	20–3	Ricardo Lamas	TKO (punches)	UFC 214	July 29, 2017	1	4:34	Anaheim, California, United States
Win	20–2	Chas Skelly	TKO (punches)	UFC 211	May 13, 2017	3	0:39	Dallas, Texas, United States	Performance of the Night.
Win	19–2	Alex Caceres	Submission (rear-naked choke)	UFC on Fox: Shevchenko vs. Peña	January 28, 2017	2	4:21	Denver, Colorado, United States	Performance of the Night.
Win	18–2	Dan Hooker	Decision (unanimous)	UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson	November 27, 2016	3	5:00	Melbourne, Australia
Win	17–2	Jim Alers	Decision (split)	UFC on Fox: Holm vs. Shevchenko	July 23, 2016	3	5:00	Chicago, Illinois, United States	Fight of the Night.
Loss	16–2	Tatsuya Kawajiri	Decision (unanimous)	The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber Finale	December 11, 2015	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	16–1	Musa Khamanaev	Submission (triangle choke)	Titan FC 35	September 19, 2015	2	3:06	Ridgefield, Washington, United States
Win	15–1	Thiago Moisés	Decision (unanimous)	Atlas Fights 25	May 30, 2015	3	5:00	Biloxi, Mississippi, United States	Defended the Atlas Fights Featherweight Championship.
Win	14–1	Michael Roberts	Decision (unanimous)	Atlas Fights 23	April 4, 2015	5	5:00	Biloxi, Mississippi, United States	Won the vacant Atlas Fights Featherweight Championship.
Win	13–1	Gilbert Burgos	Submission (gogoplata)	Atlas FC 4	September 14, 2014	1	1:23	Biloxi, Mississippi, United States	Return to Featherweight.
Win	12–1	Harry Johnson	Submission (Von Flue choke)	V3 Fights: Johnson vs. Shuffield	June 21, 2014	2	4:38	Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Win	11–1	Tony Way	Submission (inverted triangle choke)	Atlas Fights: Battle on Mobile Bay	April 12, 2014	1	2:03	Mobile, Alabama, United States
Win	10–1	Ronald Jacobs	TKO (punches)	Atlas Fights 20	January 18, 2014	1	1:43	Biloxi, Mississippi, United States
Win	9–1	Bradley Collins	Submission (armbar)	Atlas Fights 19	November 16, 2013	1	1:06	Biloxi, Mississippi, United States	Return to Lightweight.
Win	8–1	Matt McCook	Submission (rear naked choke)	Atlas Fights 13	September 22, 2012	1	0:52	Biloxi, Mississippi, United States
Loss	7–1	Michael Roberts	Decision (unanimous)	Atlas Fights 12	July 14, 2012	3	5:00	Biloxi, Mississippi, United States	For the Atlas Fights Featherweight Championship.
Win	7–0	Shawn Hayes	Submission (triangle choke)	Atlas Fights 10	February 11, 2012	3	4:33	Biloxi, Mississippi, United States	Won the interim Atlas Fights Featherweight Championship.
Win	6–0	James Rutherford	Submission (guillotine choke)	Atlas Fights 9	October 11, 2011	1	3:31	Biloxi, Mississippi, United States
Win	5–0	Jonathan Burdine	TKO (punches)	FFI: Blood and Sand 10	August 13, 2011	1	2:05	Biloxi, Mississippi, United States
Win	4–0	Ronald Jacobs	Submission (triangle choke)	UEP: Battle at the Beach	January 16, 2010	2	2:22	Daphne, Alabama, United States
Win	3–0	Daren Hayes	Submission (triangle choke)	UEP: Battle at the Beach	December 2, 2009	1	3:04	Orange Beach, Alabama, United States
Win	2–0	Shawn Hayes	Submission (armbar)	No Love Entertainment	November 7, 2009	1	1:50	Biloxi, Mississippi, United States
Win	1–0	Patrick Needham	Submission (triangle choke)	UEP: The Reckoning	September 24, 2009	1	1:10	Orange Beach, Alabama, United States

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

Exhibition record breakdown
2 matches	1 win	1 loss
By knockout	0	1
By submission	1	0

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Loss	1–1	Kurt Holobaugh	TKO (punches)	The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler	Aug 8, 2023 (airdate)	2	2:56	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	The Ultimate Fighter 31 Semi-final round.
Win	1–0	Landon Quiñones	Submission (triangle choke)		Jul 11, 2023 (airdate)	1	0:54		The Ultimate Fighter 31 Quarterfinal round.

Bare knuckle Boxing record

Professional record breakdown

2 matches	1 win	1 loss
By knockout	1	0
By decision	0	1

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Win	1–1	Artem Lobov	TKO (corner stoppage)	BKFC 9	November 16, 2019	5	0:27	Biloxi, Mississippi, United States
Loss	0–1	Artem Lobov	Decision (unanimous)	BKFC 5	April 6, 2019	5	2:00	Biloxi, Mississippi, United States	Fight of the Year (2019).

References

1. Jason Knight [@jtkthekid] (February 27, 2021). "Last hard day was a successful one !! Still injury free and ready to put on a show next Friday night!!" – via Instagram.
2. Jason Knight (@jtkthekid) (April 8, 2017). "Brown belt baby". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-25. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
3. Brandon Sibcy (November 14, 2019). "Jason Knight: From unsanctioned fights in dog cages to headlining PPVs". thescrap.co.
4. Staff (2015-12-03). "UFC signs Jason Knight to meet Tatsuya Kawajiri at next week's TUF 22 Finale". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
5. Steven Marrocco (2015-12-11). "TUF 22 Finale results: Tatsuya Kawajiri grounds and pounds Jason Knight for decision win". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
6. Tristen Critchfield (2016-05-25). "UFC on Fox 20 update: Jason Knight vs. Jim Alers booked for Chicago". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
7. Ben Fowlkes (2016-07-23). "Jason Knight takes split over Jim Allers in bloody scrap". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
8. Tristen Critchfield (2016-07-23). "UFC on Fox 20 bonuses: Herrig, Wineland, Knight, Alers receive $50K". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2016-07-23.
9. Steven Marrocco (2016-11-26). "UFC Fight Night 100 results: Jason Knight outworks Dan Hooker over three rounds for decision win". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
10. Ben Fowlkes (2017-01-28). "UFC on Fox 23 results: Jason Knight chokes out Alex Caceres in second round". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
11. Staff (2017-01-28). "UFC on FOX 23 bonuses: Valentina Shevchenko, Jorge Masvidal among $50,000 extra winners". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-01-29.
12. Staff (2017-03-10). "Chas Skelly says he's fighting Jason Knight at UFC 211 in Dallas". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
13. Steven Marrocco (2017-05-13). "UFC 211 results: Jason Knight thrashes Chas Skelly in third round for fourth straight win". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-05-13.
14. Staff (2017-05-14). "UFC 211 bonuses: Nutty heavyweight brawl between Chase Sherman, Rashad Coulter gets $50,000". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-05-14.
15. Brian Martin (2017-06-06). "UFC 214: Jason Knight in for Korean Zombie to face Ricard Lamas". presstelegram.com. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
16. Ben Fowlkes (2017-07-29). "UFC 214 results: Ricardo Lamas brutalizes Jason Knight for 1st-round TKO win". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-07-29.
17. Staff (2017-10-16). "Jason Knight says he's fighting Gabriel Benitez at UFC Fight Night 123 in Fresno". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-10-16.
18. "UFC Fight Night 123 results: Gabriel Benitez survives bite – yes, bite! – to dominate Jason Knight". MMAjunkie. 2017-12-10. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
19. Staff (2018-03-21). "Makwan Amirkhani booked for UFC Liverpool bout". mmaviking.com. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
20. "UFC Fight Night 130 results: Makwan Amirkhani battles Jason Knight in pocket, wrestles way to split-decision win". MMAjunkie. 2018-05-27. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
21. Mark La Monica (2018-09-04). "UFC 230 gets another featherweight bout". newsday.com. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
22. "UFC 230 results: Jordan Rinaldi dominates Jason Knight". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2018-11-04.
23. Staff (2019-01-10). "Nine-fight UFC veteran Jason Knight says he's looking for new fighting home". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
24. Michael Lynch (January 12, 2021). "Jason Knight Set To Make MMA Return". mmasucka.com.
25. Riley Kontek (February 15, 2021). Shootin' the Shit Ep. 42: Jason Knight – via YouTube.
26. Cliff Wright [@cliffwrightcr] (March 1, 2021). "@cliffwrightcr steps up on 5 days notice to main event against UFC Vet @jtkthekid at @ikonfightingfederation 5 live on @ufcfightpass" – via Instagram.
27. Rob Tatum (March 5, 2021). "iKON FF 5 Results: Knight Chokes Wright, Pierre Submits Stephenson". combatpress.com.
28. "Jason Knight vs. Charles 'Felony' Bennett booked as first main event for Jorge Masvidal's bare-knuckle MMA promotion". mmafighting.com. May 29, 2021.
29. Matthew Wells (June 18, 2021). "Gamebred Fighting Championship 1 results: Jason Knight clipped early, taps Charles Bennett in first round". MMAjunkie.com .
30. Damon Martin (July 2, 2021). "Ex-UFC, BKFC fighter Jason Knight signs with PFL, expected to debut on Aug. 27 card". mmafighting.com.
31. Newswire, MMA Fighting (2021-08-10). "PFL announces full 2021 Playoff 3 card, Brendan Loughnane vs. Movlid Khaybulaev headlines". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
32. Sherdog.com. "PFL 9: 2021 Playoffs Weigh-in Results: Featherweight & Light Heavyweight Semifinals Set". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
33. "Wade, Khaybulaev, Carlos Junior and Hamlet lock up PFL championship berths". ESPN.com. 2021-08-27. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
34. Sherdog.com. "GCMMA - Gulf Coast MMA 15". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
35. Heck, Mike (2023-03-05). "Full TUF 31 cast revealed, featuring Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler as coaches". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
36. "TUF 31 results video, full Ep. 7 recap McGregor vs. Chandler". mmamania.com.
37. "'Fight of the Season' — TUF 31 results video, full Ep. 11 recap McGregor vs. Chandler". mmamania.com.
38. "12 former UFC fighters added to Jorge Masvidal's Gambred Bareknuckle MMA event". MMA Junkie. 2023-10-05. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
39. Sherdog.com. "Alan Belcher Notches Split-Decision Victory Against Roy Nelson at Gamebred FC 6". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
40. Jesse Holland (February 13, 2019). "'Hammer' time! Artem Lobov inks 'six-figure deal' with Bare Knuckle FC, fights Jason Knight on April 20". mmamania.com.
41. Thomas Myers (April 5, 2019). "Bare Knuckle FC 5 fight card for 'Lobov vs Knight' on April 6". mmamania.com.
42. "Bare Knuckle FC 5 results: Artem Lobov wins thrilling brawl over Jason Knight". MMA Junkie. 2019-04-07. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
43. Damon Martin (April 6, 2019). "Jason Knight happy for opportunity in BKFC because the 'UFC is going to [expletive]'". mmaweekly.com.
44. Dave Doyle (June 23, 2019). "Jason Knight vs. Leonard Garcia announced for Bare Knuckle FC 7". mmajunkie.com.
45. Mike Bohn (July 15, 2019). "Jason Knight announces injury, withdrawal from Bare Knuckle FC 7 main event". mmajunkie.com.
46. Mike Bohn (October 9, 2019). "Artem Lobov vs. Jason Knight rematch headlines Bare Knuckle FC 9 on Nov. 16". mmajunkie.com.
47. Beverly Tuskan (March 29, 2012). "19-year-old Jason Knight charged with felony grand larceny". gulflive.com.

External links

• Jason Knight at UFC
• Professional MMA record for Jason Knight from Sherdog