Even during the worst stretch of his career, Jason Knight was ready for his next opportunity to prove himself inside the Octagon.
Sure, he’d just lost his fourth straight fight, a unanimous decision loss to Jordan Rinaldi at UFC 230, but Knight was a fan favorite, a classic action fighter who had drawn stylistic comparisons to the popular Diaz brothers (hence the Mississippian’s unofficial moniker of “Hick Diaz”). The Rinaldi fight was just the second of a recently inked contract, so Knight had reason to think that his good relationship with the company would keep him employed.