Jason Knight upbeat about UFC-Fresno rebound after making '$30,000 to get TKO'd' in last fight

FRESNO, Calif. – Jason Knight has no shame in his loss to Ricardo Lamas over the summer and is ready to rebound and prove where he stands in the featherweight division at UFC Fight Night 123.

After winning four straight, Knight (20-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) was positioned in a showdown with former title-challenger Lamas at UFC 214 in July. He suffered a one-sided first-round TKO loss, but now Knight is ready to bounce back against Gabriel Benitez (19-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 123 co-headliner, which takes place at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif., and airs on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

Knight never had suffered a blowout loss like Lamas (18-5 MMA, 9-3 UFC) gave him at UFC 214. Such an outcome could rattle the confidence of some fighters, but Knight, who spoke to the media at Thursday’s UFC Fight Night 123 open workouts at Pacific Martial Arts, said it was nothing more than a positive learning experience.

“I don’t get what you’re talking about, man. Things went exactly as they were supposed to,” Knight jokingly told MMAjunkie. “Every time I get in that cage I pray to God: Let the best man win. If it’s not me, it’s no big deal. Just let me go out there and fight to the best of my ability. I made a critical mistake in that fight. I got open with my hands down, but it’s a big learning experience.

“At that level, top 15, those guys, they’re animals. They’re a whole different breed than the rest of the cliques. You’ve got to be flawless. You can’t make any mistakes. I learned more from that fight than I have any of my wins – that’s the good thing about it.”

Knight explained that he’s not the type of fighter who gets hung up on wins and losses. He’s not oblivious to the reality that winning leads to bigger opportunities, but Knight only wants to reach those spots if it’s done his way.

“Mississippi Mean” is a classic brawler who already has drawn comparisons to Nick and Nate Diaz for his fighting style and in-cage trash talking. Knight said he walked out of the octagon a better fighter after the clash with Lamas, and he plans on applying everything he learned to Benitez.

“Some fighters, they’re so hell-bent on, they can’t lose. They’ve got to win everything,'” Knight said. “I don’t give a (expletive). I’m out here ready to fight. I’m out to here to have fun and get paid doing it. That’s just the way that it goes. I made $30,000 to get TKO’d. Who the hell gets to do that? It didn’t really bother me.

“They know just as well as I do: (Lamas) is a top-three guy, that’s some big shoes to fill, and I asked for that fight,” he continued. “It wasn’t a short-notice fight, but I didn’t have a complete training camp for it. That was something I wanted to try to do. I wanted to test myself at that level. I had the skills to beat him. I have the tools to beat him. He was flawless; I wasn’t.”

Despite the loss, Knight still feels the UFC holds him in high regard. He said he wouldn’t have gotten a co-main event spot at UFC Fight Night 123 if that weren’t the case, and against an opponent where he’s the heavy betting favorite.

Knight said he fully expects a tough fight from Benitez and doesn’t foresee himself leaving the octagon unscathed. However, when judging the matchup, Knight said the UFC is doing its best to help him get back on track.

“They know I’m at the level I need to be, and they’re just giving me this fight as kind of a warm-up,” Knight said. “Of course, Gabriel Benitez is a tough fighter. He’s going to be a hard fight for me, but I think they’re trying to give me him, so that if I beat him, then they’re going to give me that next step up. They just wanted to assess where my skills are at, where my brain’s at after taking that tough loss. I’m not like the rest of these guys. I don’t get butt-hurt after a loss. It doesn’t bother me. I’m right back to the same guy 30 minutes later. I think I might have been upset for 30 seconds and then it was right back to happy-go-lucky Jason.”

Knight said he’s excited to show off the improved version of himself that was birthed out of the loss to Lamas. He said his approach against Lamas is ultimately what cost him the fight, and against Benitez, Knight said he plans on showing significantly less flaws and performing like the top-15 featherweight he knows he can be.

“I belong with everybody that’s inside that top 15,” Knight said. “I think I’m above some of their levels for sure. I just got to get to that flawless stage where I made no mistakes, I made no errors. Once I get to that fight IQ where I think consciously about keeping my hands up, think consciously about moving the right direction and stuff like that, I think after that the skill is already there. It’s just the little, tiny little nitpicking things that could cost you the fight.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 123, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.