It has not quite come together as hoped for Knight, but at least he
has the physical tools to author a turnaround. “Knightmare” is
essentially a human ball of muscle, subsequently possessing
strength and power to cause problems for anyone. A vast amount of
Knight’s regional career saw opponents either stall out when
attempting to move him or just walk right into a knockout punch.
Now that he has worked his way up the UFC ladder, the book is
essentially out not to meet Knight on his own terms. Some opponents
have no choice but to walk in and try to trade with Knight, but if
someone can either strike effectively at a distance or work up
enough momentum to sweep him off his feet, it has essentially
exposed that there is a lot of awkwardness and discomfort to how he
throws his offense. Maxim
Grishin and Devin Clark
successfully outmaneuvered Knight in his last two fights, and now,
Prachnio steps up to the proverbial plate. Prachnio had a rude
awakening in his UFC debut back in 2018, walking into a Sam Alvey
knockout, and the situation did not get much better for the Pole
from there. He tried a few different ideas in his next few fights,
all of which only served the purpose of getting Prachnio knocked
out. It was a bit of a surprise when Prachnio got a fourth chance
at a UFC win against Khalil
Rountree in 2021 and even more surprising when he actually
walked away with the victory; his karate-heavy striking style
finally clicked, and he successfully frustrated Rountree and
survived in the face of significant horsepower. Prachnio followed
that with a knockout of Isaac
Villanueva, though a subsequent loss to Philipe
Lins did serve as a reminder that he does have a ceiling in the
face of some well-rounded aggression. Prachnio getting shellacked
is never out of the question, but he figures to be able to
outmaneuver Knight and could pour on the punishment if the
Connecticut native gets tired in the later rounds. The pick is
Prachnio via third-round stoppage.
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