Detroit UFC fighter Kalinn 'Khaos' Williams making name for himself with knockout power

A fighter out of Detroit is trying to emerge as the next crown jewel in one of the most stacked and dangerous divisions in the UFC.

Kalinn Williams, nicknamed "The Oxfighter" and also known as "Khaos," earned a performance bonus of $50,000 at UFC Fight Night Saturday after he knocked out Carlston Harris with a right hook that landed on the sweet spot. The Jackson native fighting out of Detroit added one more finishing blow to a stunned Harris to secure the first-round finish 90 seconds in.

"I'm different," Williams told the Free Press after the win. "I've been saying it — I'm a diamond in the rough just waiting to be bumped off and shown to the world I'm here."

Williams moved to 6-2 in his UFC career, which began in 2020, after he caught a lunging Harris with a clean shot while eating two punches to the head. It was the fourth knockout of Williams' career, three of which have come in the first round, and the second straight win to move up the welterweight division.

Williams' power and ability to end a fight at any instant has been lucrative for him so far, earning four performance bonuses to supplement his salary for each fight appearance and win. The five-figure bonus is given to fighters who impress UFC management with their individual performances, and Williams' knockouts have drawn eyes each time.

"He wasn't messing with me when it came to the striking," Williams said of his opponent. "There's levels to this and I just had to prove that."

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Williams has emerged as one of the up-and-coming exciting talents in his weight class after getting his start in combat in Michigan. He was born in Indiana but grew up in Jackson, Michigan, and got his start in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He began his professional fighting career at two King of the Cage events hosted in Wyandotte in 2017, winning both by knockout. He continued to fight in local MMA events in Grand Rapids, Lansing and the Detroit area until making his UFC debut in 2020.

"I ended up buying property in Detroit and staying in Detroit," Williams said about his early fighting career. "I was just fighting more in Detroit and that's kind of where I got bigger."

Williams went 9-1 between 2017-2019, drawing the attention of the UFC. He stepped in to fill in for an injured fighter in February 2020 and instantly made a name for himself with a knockout in 27 seconds against Alex Morono on short notice. He won his next fight before falling to Michel Pereira by unanimous decision. He won two more fights, one by knockout, before losing to Randy Brown by decision in May 2022. Since then, he's won two matches in a row, including last Saturday.

He has continued to fight out of Detroit during his four years in the UFC.

"It means a lot, I love the city man," Williams said. "There's so much history when it comes to Detroit. ... There's a lot of talent here and it's the city of the hustlers, man. We put that Detroit hustle in and it's different."

Though he's developing a reputation for heavy hands in the UFC, Williams said he's an all-around fighter, not a "one-trick pony," but someone who can win in a multitude of ways, pointing to his kicks and jab combinations earlier in the fight to set up the opening. But, that one trick was effective yet again, putting his opponent to sleep immediately.

He credited his training camp and gym, Murcielago MMA, based in Lansing, for preparing him for the fight and pointing out Harris' tendencies as well as allowing him to train against other fighters such as Joaquin Buckley who also trains with Murcielago in Lansing and is ranked No. 11 in welterweight.

"When a plan is executed, it always feels good," Williams said.

Leading up to this fight, he spent time training in Lansing but also got extra work at Jiu-Jitsu gyms near Detroit, such as Vision BJJ in Wixom. He also traveled to other cities like Denver and Albuquerque to make sure he was prepared and growing as a fighter.

"I go all over Michigan — from here to here to there," Williams said. "It's not like I can get everything in one spot so I gotta piece it together."

It was just the third fight for Williams in the last three years because he's been focused on other "investments" outside of fighting, but he is looking to be more active in the future, including potentially adding another fight in 2024. He sits outside of the top 15 rankings for his weight class but wants to continue to fight against improved competition to try to prove himself and move up. As for specific names, Williams isn't picky; he's up for any challenge UFC schedulemakers throw at him.

First, he must heal his hand, which he "messed up a little bit" on one of the two punches that ended the fight against Harris. After he heals from the injury, which he believed to be bruising, he's ready to continue to try climbing the ladder.

"Whoever they put in front of me, they gotta get the smoke," Williams said.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit UFC fighter Kalinn 'Khaos' Williams making name for himself