Outside Source
Karl Williams knows the drill.
The 6-foot-3, 260-pound heavyweight will set out in search of his second Professional Fighters League victory when he squares off with Maxwell Djantou Nana as part of the PFL Sioux Falls undercard this Saturday at the Sanford Pentagon in South Dakota. Williams, 36, holds a 1-3 record with the promotion and last competed on Feb. 7, when he tapped to a second-round arm-triangle choke from Pouya Rahmani at PFL Dubai. It was his fourth consecutive defeat dating back to his exit from the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Advertisement
Williams makes no excuses for his recent run of adversity.
“The results have been the results, and every time it’s like that, I can only control what I can control,” Williams said. “I go into the gym, [and] I work as hard as I can [and] get with the best training partners. I’ve been training with Francis [Ngannou] for this camp, and he’s been back training, so I’ve gotten as many rounds as possible with him. As far as putting stuff out there, I’m doing everything I can. Now what I can’t control is what people do on the other side. I got into this sport because I wanted to compete and be the best that I can be, naturally, and go from there. That’s what I want to do. Just work my hardest for it all, and then the results will be the results.”
In Nana, he faces another top international prospect comparable to Rahmani. “Leonidas” has won seven of his past eight bouts, a technical knockout loss to Justin Clarke in October his only misstep. Williams points to experience as one of his clear advantages.
“I mean he’s similar to the last opponent I had, a young guy not really tested in the sport,” he said. “I think he has a good background in other sports, so he is an athlete, but MMA is different. I don’t know why they keep giving me prospects, but they keep giving them to me. I welcome it. Are they trying to give me prospects because they think they’re an easy fight for me, or are they trying to have the prospect build their name off of me? You never know what that backroom conversation is, and I don’t know what the story is behind it, but they keep giving me these prospects.”
Williams has managed to keep doubt at bay despite his recent downturn. In fact, by the time he climbs into the cage, well over two years will have passed since his most recent win—a unanimous decision over Justin Tafa in the UFC.
Struggles aside, confidence still intact
“I don’t feel I’m in a mental skid at all,” Williams said. “For me, mentally, I can only prepare the right way, do the right things and then the truth will come out. Certain things will come out, and the truth will come out about my last fight.”
Williams plans to leave the past in the past, all while retaining the kind of confidence he needs to succeed at a high level.
“I’m going to give a good performance,” he said. “I’m going to bring it all and go from there. You’re going to see a good competition. The results are going to be the results. I know what kind of results I’ve been training for. When my coaches asked me how I felt about this fight, I told myself I wasn’t going to say a damn thing. Because I’ll go in there and I’ll think everything is on the up and up. Then something happened, and everything is not on the up and up, and it’s going to go to crap. So I’ll just go out there, and you’ll get a good performance out of me. You’re going to get a good fight out of me. Then I’m just going to give it to God after that.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
Help support MMACrazies.com when you shop Amazon by starting your online Amazon shopping at MMACrazies.com/recommends/amazon. You are not charged extra, but we receive a small and very helpful commission on everything you purchase. Thanks for thinking of us every time you shop at Amazon.
