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Heading into this week, welterweight Khaos Williams always knew that he would have a fight on his schedule this weekend. Williams, who’s posted a record of 15-4 in MMA and a 6-3 record under the UFC promotional banner, last fought over the Presidents Day weekend in February.
On Feb. 15, Khaos Williams’ walk to the famous UFC Octagon resulted in defeat. Gabriel Bonfim (17-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) locked in a second-round technical submission by way of D’arce choke with only two seconds remaining on the clock.
From there, Williams and his camp were eager to turn the page, looking to get back in the win column in late spring. Upon a cancelled fight against Uros Medic, who bowed out of UFC 316 late last week due to the latter falling ill (sinusitis), he was then rebooked to square off with Albert Tadevosyan. This booking, too, was scrubbed after Medic’s replacement failed his medical examinations.
Khaos Williams Lands Third Different Opponent on Monday of UFC 316 Fight Week
As the old adage goes, “The third time is the charm.” This couldn’t be more fitting for the Williams camp ahead of UFC 316 on Saturday night. He’ll be touching down in Newark, NJ for a Saturday evening contest from Prudential Center for the latest pay-per-view event from MMA’s No. 1 promotion.
Khaos Williams’ short-notice adversary for this upcoming weekend is a man who was supposed to have fought at the UFC Apex on the night of May 31. Andreas Gustafsson (11-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) had initially been booked to appear during last Saturday’s UFC Fight Night for a contracted catchweight fight at 180 lbs versus Trevin Giles (16-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC.)
The fight against Giles was postponed on the morning of the weigh-ins. Gustafsson later revealed on social media that Giles was forced out of the UFC Apex event due to a bump on the head while he was cutting weight for the bout last weekend. Given that the UFC recently introduced a patch to be worn on a debuting fighter’s trunks ahead of UFC Vegas 107, Andreas Gustafsson will be wearing the patch a week later than he had anticipated versus Khaos Williams.
Khaos Williams, Andreas Gustafsson in Similar Predicament Ahead of UFC 316 Saturday Night in Newark
Much like Andreas Gustafsson, Khaos Williams also now has to prepare for his third different adversary on June 7. As mentioned previously, both Uros Medic and Albert Tadevosyan resigned from UFC 316 for various reasons within a matter of days of each other.
Gustafsson, who secured his UFC promotional contract late last August during the eighth season of Dana White’s Contender Series, has had to wait since January of this year to make his first walk to the Octagon since joining the promotion’s active roster by way of the Tuesday night summer MMA promotion. Initially, his promotional debut was to have happened on Jan. 11.
That evening, he had been scheduled to verse Preston Parsons inside the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, NV. Prior to the event, the contest had to be scrapped due to Gustafsson withdrawing from the fight. Jacobe Smith instead fought Parsons on a week’s notice.
From there, Andreas Gustafsson was set to fight last Saturday evening during UFC Vegas 107 against original adversary, Cage Fury Fighting Championships alumnus Jeremiah Wells. This bout would also get postponed ahead of the show, leading to the eventually postponed contest versus Giles.
Khaos Williams Faces Tough Opponent in Andreas Gustafsson
More than nine months removed from Andreas Gustafsson punching his ticket to the UFC and almost five months after he was scheduled to make his promotional debut at the Apex, he’ll finally make his first appearance in Dana White’s promotion this coming Saturday versus Khaos Williams. The latter fighter looks to have a difficult assignment in the cage over the upcoming weekend.
While UFC 316 will mark Williams’ 20th career appearance in MMA and his 10th under the UFC promotional banner, Andreas Gustafsson has proven himself to be a force to be reckoned with once the cage door slams shut.
It’s what got him to the UFC last August. During his Contender Series fight, Gustafsson unloaded a vicious barrage of knees to the head of opponent Pat Pytlik in the second round of a scheduled three, knocking him out on contact, his face bloodied.
Gustafsson has posted a 4-1 mark over the course of his last five fights and has gotten his hand raised after his last three bouts. Across the way, Khaos Williams enters the fight at UFC 316 sporting a record of 3-2 in his last five fights and hasn’t had a winning streak since emerging victorious from two bouts between May of 2023 and May of 2024. His latest win was recorded by way of first-round knockout due to a right hook in just 90 seconds versus Carlston Harris at the UFC Apex last spring.
Final Thoughts
Saturday’s fight between Khaos Williams and Andreas Gustafsson at UFC 316 is a bout between two fighters at a crossroads in their respective careers. Williams will reach two milestones, 20 career bouts in MMA and 10 bouts in the sport’s top promotion.
As far as Andreas Gustafsson is concerned, he’ll be making his long-awaited UFC promotional debut after a series of postponed contests and is looking to build off of his highlight-reel knockout from last summer. This should be a fun fight to watch over the weekend.
