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Khaos Williams Is Ready To Remind The People
Detroit Welterweight Khaos Williams Is Back, Determined To Reintroduce The World To His Fight-Ending Punch Power
Khaos Williams is back, and he plans on returning with a timely reminder of exactly what he’s all about as a fighter.
Williams brings an intensity that few fighters can match, and the 10-fight UFC veteran plans on unleashing his own brand of MMA when he returns to the Octagon at UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Costa on Saturday night.
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“The Oxfighter” hasn’t fought since last June, when a unanimous decision loss to Andreas Gustafsson at UFC 316 saw him fall to back-to-back UFC defeats for the first time. Now, after taking plenty of time to stew over those losses, he’s ready to bounce back, and keeping his focus firmly fixed on what’s ahead, rather than what’s already passed.
“It’s just life, man. We just got to keep moving forward,” he told UFC.com this week.
“We can't change yesterday. All we can do is focus on right now and focus on the future.
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“I had a couple of little injuries before the fights (and) I took those fights on short notice, and now I got time to come back in and remind the people.”
Those two losses sent Williams back to the drawing board, and he’s ready to return a sharper, improved version of the fighter who exploded into the UFC back in 2020.
“I've worked on everything, and I'm ready to just show the people,” he stated.
UFC 247: Khaos Williams Knocks Out Morono
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UFC 247: Khaos Williams Knocks Out Morono
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“We just continue to get better, every single day. That's what it's about. That gradual increase, every single day. That's what it's about, and that's what I'm about to show the fans.”
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Whenever you suffer losses in the Octagon, the doubters inevitably follow, and Williams is no different in that regard. But, while he acknowledges they might be there, he hasn’t let outside opinion affect his focus as he has continued to work on his craft.
“I shut it out, because at the end of the day, nobody believes in you like you're gonna believe in yourself. Nobody is going to put the work in that you put in,” he explained.
“Like I said on my debut, everybody can be against me, and I know what I'm about to do. It does help me thrive a little bit, because you don’t wanna doubt me. But it’s a part of being great, you know?”
Williams returns to action against Kazakhstan’s Nikolay Veretennikov, who has gone 2-3 in his UFC bouts to date, but is arriving in winning form following a first-round standing-TKO finish of Niko Price in February.
Veretennikov’s form isn’t a concern to Williams, however. He is aware of his opponent’s body of work, and plans on imposing his will on him on fight night.
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“It really don't matter. We’re all the same. As far as his chin, man, we're gonna test it out. We're gonna see if it holds up,” he said.
“He is durable. I see that. But, like I said, I never bring a pillow to the fight. I never sleep on nobody when it's time to go out there in competition, man. We all got a puncher's chance, and we are professional athletes. We are putting the work in. So, may the best man win come Saturday night.”
Veretennikov arrives with a record that includes 10 knockout wins and just one submission finish. Despite that clear leaning towards the striking arts, Williams said he wouldn’t be surprised if the Kazakh turns to his grappling as soon as he gets a taste of the Detroit native’s thumping punch power. And if it does play out that way, he said he’s more than ready.
“I'm super excited, and there ain't no telling, you know?” he said.
“One day, they’re a striker. The next day, they get in there, they get touched, and they turn into a grappler. So I'm just prepared, wherever the fight goes. I'm just prepared to go out here and do my thing and have some fun out there.”
For a fighter with natural one-shot knockout power like Williams, it can be easy to become obsessed with chasing the finish. But as he has matured as a fighter, he’s understood that to get the KO, the rest of your game needs to be on point, too. That knowledge has powered his work in the gym as he continues to round out his game, which, he says, will only make him more dangerous.
Highlight: Khaos Williams Finishes Back-And-Forth Bout With Miguel Baeza | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs Rodriguez
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Highlight: Khaos Williams Finishes Back-And-Forth Bout With Miguel Baeza | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs Rodriguez
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“We’ve always got that one shot. But one thing about it, it's like, I never admire my work too long, you know?” he said.
“I know that I’ve got to continue to get better at everything. People, they tend to see that you’re doing this, and they want to kind of counter that. So it's no different when it comes to my skills.
WATCH: Khaos Williams Fight Week Interview
“I know that I believe in myself. I believe in my talent. It's the right hand from God right here, man. So, when I touch them, they’re in trouble, and that goes for anybody. It only takes one shot, but at the end of the day, it's all about being a martial artist everywhere. We’ve got to continue to get better everywhere. As I want to climb the rankings, I’ve just got to keep being better. So that's what it's about. I challenge myself in places that I might not be as comfortable in. I get comfortable being uncomfortable. So this is what it's about.”
Speaking of being uncomfortable, that’s exactly how he wants his opponent to feel when the Octagon door closes at Meta APEX on Saturday night.
“The fight looks bad for him, straight up,” he said, matter-of-factly.
“He’s in there with me – I ain’t in there with him.”
That to-the-point approach has been the hallmark of Williams’ fighting style throughout his UFC career. And now, suitably refreshed and recovered after a rough year in 2025, “The Oxfighter” is ready to bounce back and jog the memories of the rest of the welterweight division to remind them that, when you get in the Octagon with Khaos Williams, you’re in for a rough night.
“The fans should expect me going out here (and) having an electrifying statement victory on Saturday,” said Williams.
“And after that, man, just be looking forward to this victory speech. The rest is gonna speak for itself.
“To the division, the message that I wanted to remind the people is that I ain’t nothing to f*** with, but I'm about to show you all that, and let my hands speak for themselves.”
UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Costa took place live from Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 16, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!