This is what I thought Davis would do. (Not claiming to be a know it all or anything). I just thought he was the kind of fighter that would improve a lot against an opponent a second time around.
Davis was not impressive last night and showed nothing new to imply he has been improving. He showed he still has no idea how to properly time or set up a TD, don't let the fact that he is a great pure wrestler who was tenacious in his approach against a guy who seemingly didn't belong in the UFC fool you into believing Davis has figured MMA wrestling out because the truth is he hasn't. Every time the guy tries to close the distance I cringe its ugly and easily telegraphed leaving him with virtually zero chance of taking down any high level LHW. I am not sure why Davis outwrestling and outgrappling an overwhelmed low level opponent impresses anybody.
This is one of the funniest things about mma to me. Guys beat a clearly over-matched opponent and then for the next three months all you hear about is how much of a beast he is.
Davis looked like the exact same guy he's been in every single one of his UFC fights. He hasn't shown a lick of improvement. He's a great wrestler with good subs who shies away from getting hit and has literally no striking standing up at all. He's simply too one-dimensional.
I'm a bit disappointed that he still seems to have nothing more with his hands than a wild looping shot, and a fairly sloppy and loose jab. I know he is trying to improve in this area, but I can't help but think that other similar MMA fighters, who were primarily wrestlers, managed to develop this side of their game a lot quicker.
If Davis somehow managed to develop dangerous stand up, beyond some decent kicks, he would instantly become a contender. Right now, I'm not convinced he is showing the signs that he can. Hope I'm wrong though. This is his first fight in a while where he was fully healthy after a good amount of time off.
I forgot this fight in the middle of such a great card, but i really love watching Phil Davis wrestle...maybe more so than any other straight wrestler.
I know one of them is Minotauro. Lil Nog and Big Nog is the right way to go indeed.
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