That’s precisely what he did in February, when he came out of nowhere to take out a respected veteran in less than 30 seconds. That doesn’t happen by accident. But sometimes a fighter needs the biggest of stages to let everyone else in on what he already knew.
“It’s the UFC now,” Williams said. “I went in there and I had a great debut and I think people are really starting to see something special. I’ve been saying this for years now and I always say it – I believe in myself and I put the work in. It’s hard work and dedication. I’m a humble person, but when it’s time to talk, I talk. And when it’s time to fight, I’m gonna let my hands speak.”
Again, there’s that confidence, but there’s plenty of gratitude to go along with it for a young man who got through some rough patches to become a professional athlete who now controls his own destiny.
“I’m just grateful,” he said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity and that God put me in the position to show the people what I already know. That’s why I put the work in, that’s why I get up early in the morning, that’s why I stay up late and get in that dark place and be in an uncomfortable state. It’s because I got people believing in me. They’ve been with me forever and believed in me and knew I was gonna get here before I even knew I was gonna get here. Now I just gotta keep my foot on the gas and keep being extraordinary and keep being special.”
He’s even got his blue checkmark on Instagram, even though he’s waiting on that validation from the Twitter folks. Maybe another 27 second knockout will do the trick. Williams isn’t ruling that out.
“I got the footwork, I got the IQ, I got the hand speed, I got the strength, I’m a complete fighter,” he said. “He (Alhassan) is a human being just like I am, and we’re gonna test that chin out.”