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'Fairly agreeable' Phil Davis not out to hurt Nogueira

3K views 38 replies 20 participants last post by  Rygu 
#1 ·
http://content.usatoday.com/communi...-phil-davis-not-out-to-hurt-nogueira/1?csp=34

Accepting a fight with only five weeks to prepare for a top-10 opponent might seem risky, but the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Mr. Wonderful likes taking gambles.

"When you're afraid to take risks, you can't grow," says Phil "Mr. Wonderful" Davis. "Even if that comes in the middle of a fight, if I feel like, 'Hey, I've never done this move before, but at this particular moment, it feels like the right thing to do,' just go for it. You've got to take risks."

Davis will go for it March 26 in Seattle when he makes his debut in a UFC main event by facing Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira, No. 9 in the USA TODAY/SB Nation consensus rankings for light heavyweights. The crafty and highly experienced Nogueira represents a monumental step up in competition for the undefeated Davis, whose previous UFC foes were unranked when he fought them.

USA TODAY spoke to Davis this week about the upcoming bout. Excerpts from the conversation:

Q: Sports books list Lil Nog as the underdog. How do you like being the favorite?

Davis: I don't really get into who's the favorite, or who's plus and minus and all that stuff. At the end of the day, I'm the guy who has to get in there.

Don't tell him I'm the favorite or the sports book has me winning. It's not going to matter to him.

I don't know if that so much means that people think I'm the favorite. In my mind, I'm still the underdog. I'm still the young cat coming up against the experienced veteran and great fighter that Nogueira is.

Experience doesn't mean everything, is it? 'Shogun' has a lot more experience than Jon Jones, but Jones is listed as the favorite.

Experience is definitely not everything. I think I'm going to do great.

I don't think experience is everything, but I do think I'm still the underdog. This is just my ninth fight. He had nine fights before I was even thinking about fighting.

In his last two fights, Nogueira didn't look all that great against wrestlers Ryan Bader and Jason Brilz. Conventional wisdom might say you're an excellent wrestler. therefore you should do just as well or better than Bader and Brilz. I gather you don't necessarily agree with that line of thinking?

No, I don't. He's been around for so long because he's able to make adjustments. When he has a mistake, like a good fighter, he corrects them.

Obviously, I (might see) some places where I could make up some points and get myself ahead, but at the same time, you don't want to bank on that because he's a good fighter. If there was something that I saw in my own fighting that I'm doing wrong, I'm going back and fixing it immediately.

Talking about fixing things, where does your game need the most fixing?

Probably just in blending everything together really smoothly.

I know the way I should understand the sport because of wrestling. When I was wrestling, I knew how to take a guy from a seat to his back. I knew how to take him down the mat and then put him on his back. If I got thrown to my back, I knew how to switch around and put the other guy on his back.

I don't know all those entries and exits in MMA. When I finally do understand all those ins and outs of MMA, I'll be a very unstoppable person.

That's really what it is. It's understanding your body, the movements that are good for you -- your body type and your style -- and knowing how to make that work.

How far are you from reaching your potential in that area?

I have no idea. I have no idea.

Do your trainers ever give you any hints?

Definitely not. It's one of those things. If I went into the gym tonight and my coach says, "Whew, good news is, you're as good as you're going to get. Bad news is, you're as good as you're going to get," I'd probably quit. (laughs)

At this point in your career, in what area of MMA are you most comfortable?

I feel most comfortable after the fight's over (chuckles).

One of the things I worked on myself was not feeling uncomfortable anywhere. For me, if a guy is (for example) fighting off a takedown to death -- like someone's going to kill him if he gets to the ground -- that, to me, says he knows that if he goes to the ground, he is going to lose this fight; it's over. Even though that's good, now I have in my mind, once I get him to the ground, he's mentally broken.

I never want to be that way. I never want a guy to say, "Once I do this to Phil, it's over." No, you can take me down. I'm a wrestler. I'm fine. I'm good on the ground.

That's one of the things, I had to work on, for me, was making sure that I'm comfortable everywhere. If I'm standing, yeah, I'm comfortable here. Sure, you're better, but I'm comfortable here, I'm going to land some shots, and then I'm going to transition to whatever I want to do.

Speaking of standing, Lil Nog is known for his boxing skills. Do you think there are openings there for you to take advantage of him?

There's definitely opportunities for me to take advantage of his boxing.

He's tough. He's not going to be afraid to throw hard punches, that's for sure. He's not going to be afraid to throw hard shots.

I just need to be ready to move when they come my way. There's no reason to stand directly in front of a punch, if you can help it.

Which Nogueira fights are most helpful for scouting purposes?

It's funny, because I'm a fan of the sport and I'm also an athlete. I enjoyed watching his fight against Luiz Cane as a spectator; of course, as an athlete, I'm like, "Oh, I don't like that fight." But it was a good scrap.

I enjoyed his fight against Jason Brilz. That was also a really good scrap. That right there, he showed a lot of heart. Even when he was in a couple of positions where he might have been losing, he's cool. ... He just rolls over and keeps after it. You can't get him down. He gets right after you.

Do you think Lil Nog won that fight? There were a few folks who thought Brilz deserved the decision.

Brilz did some things and Nogueira did some things. Whatever the judges say, I just go with that because it's easier that way.

Eventually, I'm going to get a call, it's going to be crappy, but bad refereeing -- I'm sorry, not refereeing, but also refereeing -- bad judging is as much part of the sport as getting knocked out is.

You can train so hard, but if you fail to keep your hands up, you might get knocked out. And if you win a fight, as much and as convincing as it may be, if you leave that opportunity for it to go the other way, it very well might. That's as much part of the game as anything.


CAPTIONBy Kimberly P. Mitchell, Detroit Free Press

You were a 4-time All-American wrestler at Penn State before jumping into MMA. When you go back and talk to the Penn State wrestling team, do you sense that some of them are interested in trying MMA once they're done with college?

There's a couple of guys that are coming around that are just dynamite wrestlers.

I go ahead and want to make a seamless plug to my Nittany Lions. ... Next weekend they're going to win the national title, just like they won the Big 10 title last weekend.

Yeah, there are some savage wrestlers. We're keeping in touch because we're buddies. When the time's right, they'll come to me looking for a job and I'll have everything set up for them: a place to stay; a place to train; and the right people to know to get them right where they need to be, as far as fighting.

What sort of opponent did you have in mind for your next fight, before you got the call to replace Tito Ortiz against Lil Nog?

It doesn't matter who I think I'm going to fight, because even if I call that person out, I'm probably not going to fight that person.

Also, I just train every day and I hit mitts and hit the bag, and I don't put a face on that person. I don't say, "Oh, I want to fight this guy, I want to fight that guy." I'm training me. I'm training to get me better, not to beat that person.

Some fighters, including the guy you replaced, have a knack for making fights personal. Why don't you do that?

Nothing against anyone else or whatever tactics they use, but that's just me. I'm just fairly agreeable. I don't like to make a vendetta where there isn't one.

I know Nogueira. I've trained with him. Nice guy. We're going to fight, and then I'll see him around San Diego, I'm going to shake his hand and we'll hang out.

There's no need to make it more than what it is. We're doing business together. We're going to beat the crap out of each other and knock each others' screws loose, and hug after we're done and be real men and shake each others' hands, and that's it.

How would you describe that experience of rolling with Nogueira?

Typical Nogueira. (chuckles) Can't do much with him. Just scrambly as everything. Just solid all the way around.

Everybody you get the opportunity to train with, just train with them. So what if you have to fight them later? There's nothing about this fight, there's nothing malicious. I don't want to go out and rip his head off and hurt him or anything like that. No way. The Nogueira brothers are a class act.

We're both going to make some money, hopefully get that Fight of the Night, and that's about it.

You've become known for being creative with jiu-jitsu, especially since that hammerlock on Tim Boetsch. How much of that comes from a conscious effort to be artistic?

I don't try to do anything. That is, seriously, just the me coming out. I try to be regular -- and then me happens, and weird things happen and I end up in strange positions.

That's the way I wrestled. That's just the way I am. I would wrestle, and my coaches and my training partners would tell I do things that would never work for a regular human being. I guess they're right; I don't know. But for whatever reason, they worked consistently for me. Just because everyone else isn't doing it doesn't mean you shouldn't.

When we talked last year, you insisted that you're not a particularly gifted athlete. If that's the case, why are you able to do things that others aren't?

I have some flexibility and I'm just not afraid to try things. A lot of times, people are afraid to try things in practice because they don't want to lose position; everybody wants to win.

Believe me, I'm no different. I want to win all the time, in practice and in a fight. But when you're afraid to take risks, you can't grow. Even if that comes in the middle of a fight, if I feel like, "Hey, I've never done this move before, but at this particular moment, it feels like the right thing to do," just go for it. You've got to take those risks. Just go for it.

And you know what? The people that do it, you'll either end up making a mistake -- or you'll end up brilliant.
I like this guy.
 
#5 ·
He is a good fighter admittedly i just hope he donest get given Jon Jones syndrome and fast track to Shot and has to fight a top 5 guy at the very least.
This is the dumbest shit.

There was no one for shogun to fight but Jones, do you want shogun to spend even more time outside of the cage?

It was the same thing with diaz/cyborg. there was no one else and not to mention these guys need to make money which boggles my mind how people completely ignore that.
 
#6 ·
The funny thing is i feel the same way every time i read one of your posts :thumb02:

My point is Evans should be facing Rua but he is injured and the gripe i have is , if Bader had won would he have been offered a title fight which i dont think he would , so they fast tracked Jones to a shot at the first chance they got.

Evans is only going to be out for 6 weeks without training then a 2 month training camp and he is back thats what should have happened.


But again im going to get another response about how im dumb blah blah. The hilarious thing is i bet you will be one of the first people complaining about Rua coming off Knee surgery if he loses.
 
#8 ·
Well i actually think Rampage is more qualified to fight him since in his last few fights he has a top 5 win under his belt and its rematch id like to see , but like i said any chance they could get JBJ to the title shot they did.
 
#15 ·
Stop derailing discussion and talk about Davis and Nog. There are plenty of Bones/Shogun threads for you to talk about their fight in, please use them.

Man I'm a huge Nog fan, but that interview really made me like Davis. He's extremely humble and has his head screwed on. Very respectful and realistic. If anyone were to beat one of my favourite fighters, I hope it's an up and coming respectful guy like him.

I'm even more excited for this fight now.
 
#16 ·
futuree...the guy is a beast...i really doubt JBJ can man handle him, davis is also a super gifted dude...crazy build, strength, creative, very good wrestling...

Davis FTW!...i wonder if lil nog will be able to catch him with his boxing....and i hope UFC keeps building him up logically, like after lil nog i guess he should get bader, after bader give him franklin, after franklin give him forrest, after forrest give him machida or rashad, and after that fight give him the title shot!:thumb02:
 
#17 · (Edited)
Wooow all them fights until a shot? Crazy! If he beats Nog, I'd give him a top ten, then one or two top 5's for a shot. With a win over Nog he'll be right up there in the mix.
 
#20 ·
Me too. A lot.

I know it's premature fanboy wishful thinking....but, I feel a rivalry coming as great as Frazier/Ali
This is a huge step up for Davis, which I'm happy about. Davis has looked great in the octagon and the UFC is smart with the way they book him, gradually getting better competition. But this is a HUGE step compared to his other opponents. If Davis pulls out a victory here then I'll be thoroughly impressed.
Agree with both of you. If he gets passed Nog he'll have alot of eyes on him. It's early days yet, but hype will start to grow if that happens (I hate that word, but it fits here). Can you imagine in a years time Bones vs Davis for the LHW strap? The future of this division is SO exciting.
 
#19 ·
This is a huge step up for Davis, which I'm happy about. Davis has looked great in the octagon and the UFC is smart with the way they book him, gradually getting better competition. But this is a HUGE step compared to his other opponents. If Davis pulls out a victory here then I'll be thoroughly impressed.
 
#22 ·
You don't notice how he's getting better each fight? His base is wrestling, already a good start. He translates it well to MMA wrestling and he's actually shown some impressive submissions off for being so green to the sport. There is a lot to see in this kid.

Even if he loses to Lil Nog, the future is still bright.
 
#23 · (Edited)
he just hasn't looked impressive IMO(meaning a future top LHW impressive)

he out-grappled stann. not much there
he out-grappled boetsch whose weakness is wrestling
he outgrappled rodney wallace(i have no idea who he is)
he out-grappled gustaffan. who he really had to fight to get to the ground.


Gustaffan is his best win but gustaffan does looks like a very good prospect.


I still see him losing to lil nog and not being a legit top 10 LHW, i see him being borderline top 10
 
#25 ·
I like Davis, he's one of the funnier fighters on the roster, but I cant help but find his style boring. His take downs arn't as flashy or as cool as Jones' (not that they need to be, but theres some thing about the way Jones literally rag dolls and tosses his opponents to the floor which amazes me), his GNP isn't any thing special at all and his stand up is lets say, a work in progress. He's got talent, thats for sure, but I wont be rooting for him, I think his style is boring.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Thats exactly how i feel about him. he kinda just seems like some other generic wrestler but with more of a submission game.

IMHO i believe he just got caught riding on the left overs of the bones hype and also his physique. like after his first fight in the UFC rogen was like "how good would be davis vs jon jones be" and then people started talking about it (i don't know if it was like that on this site as i wasn't posting here then)and i just thought it was absurd.
 
#27 ·
Ugh guy incognito you really showed your true colors in this thread, I guess you finally made the ignore list.



And IMO Davis' wins over Gustafsson and Stann are big. Brian Stann was the WEC LHW Champ and he's looked like a beast in most of his fights. Gustafsson is a sleeper, the dude has always been a monster and no-one has even come close to handling him like Phil Davis did. I doubt Gustafsson will lose to anyone until he's fighting top 5 guys.



People don't really know much about Diabate (the guy Gustafsson smashed recently), but his only losses since 2005 are to Shogun and Gustafsson. And Davis was leagues above him. If he gets a dominant victory over Rogerio I will be seriously impressed.
 
#38 ·
Well said.

Davis is definitely on my radar as a big up and comer. He's got the raw talent... now he has to step it up and take on the elite. Once he fine tunes everything (timing, speed, striking)... he'll be a force one day.

:thumbsup:

Edit- Not discrediting Stann or Gustafsson at all... both guys are great fighters with huge potential as well.
 
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#30 ·
Really dig Davis' personality and style, hope he wins this one and keeps the roll going.

If he can keep improving his stand up, and get it to a decent level for MMA, he'll be a force to be reckoned with.
 
#32 ·
Getting to like Davis more and more. Fanboy application is completed but I haven't sent it yet.

Davis is a great wrestler who seems to have the kinesthetics, intelligence and attitude to embrace all aspects of the game and continue improving.

His base is always going to be wrestling, but you can hardly hold that against a fighter, and I really don't think his style is boring, not when he as applied it with such dominance (so far).
 
#37 ·
Wonderful interview, thanks for posting.

Davis is brilliant personality and very very respectful. Plus you can't fault that sense of humour :) The best thing about it though is you know it's coming from a sincere place. There doesn't seem to be any sense of him saying what people want to here. He seems very genuine and I think his sense of humour and ability to poke fun at himself as well as have a knowing sense of how good he is is indicative of that. Kind of reminds me of Rashad in some sense.

I think it will be a hell of a battle vs Lil Nog as it's a classic experienced Lion vs The Young Buck. Davis via decision though as his athleticism will be the deciding factor. But won't be surprised to see Lil Nog get the nod.
 
#39 ·
I can't see why anyone wouldn't like Phil Davis. He has the perfect attitude and mentality for the sport.

There's no question he'll be a top 10 LHW very soon and will probably stay that way for a long time. His interviews are refreshing, not the same cliches over and over.

Should be a good fight, I have Davis by UD.
 
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