# Jason Knight (fighter)
**Jason Thomas Knight** (born 1992) is an American mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxer from Lucedale, Mississippi, who competed in the [Ultimate Fighting Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/ultimate-fighting-championship)'s featherweight division from 2015 to 2018 under the nickname "The Kid".[1](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Jason-Knight-44957) • [2](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/19215-jason-knight) He later fought in the [Professional Fighters League](https://www.edgepedia.org/professional-fighters-league), Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, and Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA, and returned to the UFC's radar through [The Ultimate Fighter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-ultimate-fighter) 31 in 2023.[3](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Jason%20Knight/44896/) • [4](https://www.ufc.com/news/meet-lightweight-jason-knight-ultimate-fighter-team-mcgregor-vs-team-chandler)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1992, United States; fighting out of Lucedale, Mississippi[1](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Jason-Knight-44957) • [2](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/19215-jason-knight) |
| Pro MMA record | 23-9-0 by FightMatrix and Sherdog; Tapology lists 22-7-0; the UFC's own page shows 20-6-0[3](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Jason%20Knight/44896/) • [1](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Jason-Knight-44957) • [2](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/19215-jason-knight) • [5](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/jason-knight) |
| UFC tenure | Debut December 11, 2015; last UFC fight November 3, 2018; UFC record 4-5-0[3](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Jason%20Knight/44896/) |
| Win methods | 15 submissions, 4 KO/TKO, 4 decisions; never submitted in his professional career[1](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Jason-Knight-44957) • [6](https://www.mmaindex.com/fighters/jason-knight-bb1a2cda) |
| Peak ranking | #16 featherweight in FightMatrix quarterly rankings, October 1, 2017[3](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Jason%20Knight/44896/) |
| Physical | 5'10" (178 cm), 71-inch reach, competes at featherweight (145 lb)[1](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Jason-Knight-44957) • [5](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/jason-knight) |
| Team | Alan Belcher MMA Club, D'Iberville, Mississippi; head coach Mike Sanford[5](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/jason-knight) • [2](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/19215-jason-knight) |
## Early career
Knight turned professional on September 24, 2009, after an amateur run of four wins in 2008 and 2009, all by stoppage.[3](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Jason%20Knight/44896/) • [1](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Jason-Knight-44957) He built his record on the Gulf Coast regional circuit, largely for the Atlas Fights promotion, and showed an early commitment to grappling: his first ten professional wins included triangle chokes, an armbar, a guillotine, and a gogoplata, a rare choke finished from guard.[1](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Jason-Knight-44957)
## UFC career (2015–2018)
Knight entered the UFC at the TUF 22 Finale on December 11, 2015, losing a unanimous decision to Tatsuya Kawajiri, then ranked #13 at featherweight by FightMatrix.[3](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Jason%20Knight/44896/) • [1](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Jason-Knight-44957) He then put together a four-fight winning streak from 2016 to 2017, beating Jim Alers by split decision, [Dan Hooker](https://www.edgepedia.org/dan-hooker) by unanimous decision, [Alex Caceres](https://www.edgepedia.org/alex-caceres) by rear-naked choke, and Chas Skelly by late TKO.[1](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Jason-Knight-44957) • [3](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Jason%20Knight/44896/)
The streak ended against [Ricardo Lamas](https://www.edgepedia.org/ricardo-lamas), then the #3-ranked featherweight, who stopped Knight by punches in the first round at [UFC 214](https://www.edgepedia.org/ufc-214) on July 29, 2017.[1](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Jason-Knight-44957) • [6](https://www.mmaindex.com/fighters/jason-knight-bb1a2cda) Knight then lost three more bouts, to Gabriel Benitez, Makwan Amirkhani (split decision), and Jordan Rinaldi, and his last UFC fight came at [UFC 230](https://www.edgepedia.org/ufc-230) on November 3, 2018.[1](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Jason-Knight-44957) • [3](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Jason%20Knight/44896/)
His UFC record stood at 4-5 across nine bouts, with 1 hour 54 minutes 34 seconds of octagon time.[3](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Jason%20Knight/44896/) MMA Fighting described him as well known for an exciting style that earned three post-fight bonuses in his first five appearances with the promotion.[7](https://www.mmafighting.com/2021/7/2/22560189/ex-ufc-bkfc-fighter-jason-knight-signs-with-pfl-expected-to-debut-on-aug-27-card)
### UFC statistics
The UFC's fighter page records 338 significant strikes landed of 1,002 attempted (34 percent accuracy), 2.95 significant strikes landed per minute against 3.02 absorbed, a 52 percent significant-strike defense, and a 47 percent takedown defense.[5](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/jason-knight) His grappling profile was submission-oriented rather than control-oriented: 1.70 submission attempts per 15 minutes against a takedown average of 1.31 per 15 minutes, with 77 percent of his significant strikes landed standing.[5](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/jason-knight) MMA Index grades his submission attempts per 15 minutes at A+ while rating his takedown accuracy and control time near the bottom of the featherweight ranks.[6](https://www.mmaindex.com/fighters/jason-knight-bb1a2cda)
## Post-UFC career
After leaving the UFC, Knight returned at iKon Fighting Federation 5 in March 2021, submitting Cliff Wright, and then beat [Charles Bennett](https://www.edgepedia.org/charles-bennett) by rear-naked choke at Gamebred BareKnuckle MMA 1 on June 18, 2021, his first bare-knuckle bout.[1](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Jason-Knight-44957) He signed with the Professional Fighters League in July 2021 and lost a unanimous decision to Bobby Moffett at PFL 9: 2021 Playoffs on August 27, 2021.[7](https://www.mmafighting.com/2021/7/2/22560189/ex-ufc-bkfc-fighter-jason-knight-signs-with-pfl-expected-to-debut-on-aug-27-card) • [1](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Jason-Knight-44957) A knockout of Rey Trujillo at Gulf Coast MMA 15 in March 2022 preceded a move to lightweight for The Ultimate Fighter 31 in 2023, where he beat Landon Quinones by submission before losing the semifinal to Kurt Holobaugh by TKO.[1](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Jason-Knight-44957) • [4](https://www.ufc.com/news/meet-lightweight-jason-knight-ultimate-fighter-team-mcgregor-vs-team-chandler) • [3](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Jason%20Knight/44896/)
In bare-knuckle competition he lost to Randy Costa by first-round punches at Gamebred BareKnuckle MMA 6 on November 10, 2023, and to Joshua Weems by unanimous decision at Gamebred BareKnuckle MMA 8 on November 15, 2024, the latter his most recent recorded professional bout.[1](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Jason-Knight-44957) • [3](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Jason%20Knight/44896/)
## Fighting style
Knight's record is built on submissions: 15 of his wins, about 65 percent, have come by submission, and he has never been submitted in 32 recorded professional bouts, with 7 of his 9 losses by decision.[1](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Jason-Knight-44957) • [6](https://www.mmaindex.com/fighters/jason-knight-bb1a2cda) His two KO/TKO losses came against Lamas and Costa.[1](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Jason-Knight-44957) Tapology lists his career disclosed earnings at $224,000.[2](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/19215-jason-knight)
## Record discrepancies
Record databases disagree on Knight's totals. FightMatrix and Sherdog list 23-9-0, Tapology lists 22-7-0, and the UFC's athlete page shows 20-6-0 with 13 submission wins, figures that reflect different cutoffs and treatment of bare-knuckle bouts.[3](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Jason%20Knight/44896/) • [1](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Jason-Knight-44957) • [2](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/19215-jason-knight) • [5](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/jason-knight)
## References
1. [Jason "The Kid" Knight MMA Stats, Sherdog](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Jason-Knight-44957)
2. [Jason Knight ("The Kid"), Tapology](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/19215-jason-knight)
3. [Jason Knight profile, FightMatrix](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Jason%20Knight/44896/)
4. [Meet Lightweight Jason Knight, UFC.com](https://www.ufc.com/news/meet-lightweight-jason-knight-ultimate-fighter-team-mcgregor-vs-team-chandler)
5. [Jason Knight, UFC athlete page](https://www.ufc.com/athlete/jason-knight)
6. [Jason Knight Record, Stats & Next Fight, MMA Index](https://www.mmaindex.com/fighters/jason-knight-bb1a2cda)
7. [Ex-UFC, BKFC fighter Jason Knight signs with PFL, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2021/7/2/22560189/ex-ufc-bkfc-fighter-jason-knight-signs-with-pfl-expected-to-debut-on-aug-27-card)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Mixed martial arts › Featherweight and bantamweight fighters › Featherweight fighters*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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