I was originally thinking rashad but now I am going to have to go with mr wonderful on this one. I took a look at some of the statistics and I think Phil will be able pull off the upset.
Davis doesn't like getting hit and while I can't say I'd enjoy getting punched in the face by Lil' Nog either I think his cardio will fade in the 4th and 5th, even though we've never seen Rashad in them either. From there Rashad will light him up and eventually finish him in some fashion with strikes.
If this was a three rounder though, I'd go with Davis seven days a week and twice on Sundays, he's a pretty sweet grappler.
This is one of the few fights where I'd bet a nice chunk of change on the favorite. Who knows maybe P.D. has something up his sleeve.
The vast experience, knowledge from GJ/Blackzillian camps, and sheer determination to fight JBJ will put Rashad over the top. Everyone knows that is the fight we need to see.
The fight dynamics of a 3 vs 5 round are huge in this fight. I say Rashad wins a hard fought decision in a 3 rounder... but would get a TKO in rounds 4/5 if it was a championship fight.
Phil has undeniable raw talent, but I just don't see how he wins this unless he secures a sub...:confused02:
Rashad Evans will defeat Phil Davis via a decision or a late TKO stoppage or KO. Really like Davis and I do think he has a chance. I'd give him more of a chance in a 3 rounder, but Rashad's grit and determination and his own skills is just simply too much for Davis to overcome at this point in his career.
I see Davis stealing the first two rounds and then getting picked apart in rounds 3,4 and 5. Davis WILL take Rashad down, but he can't keep him down for longer than 5-10 secs, and this is the key. Rashad's going to rip him standing and probably complement it with his own takedowns should Davis be on the defense.
I do find it interesting that most people see Rashad doing better in the late rounds.
I was thinking the opposite. If Rashad doesn't get an early KO he's in trouble.
I recently rewatched Rashad vs Bisping and Rashad gassed pretty badly and got really sloppy in that fight. if he does that against Phil he'll get put on his back and stay there.
I can't remember cardio being an issue for Phil before. Am I forgetting?
The Rashad vs Bisping fight was years ago, mate. I think it's pretty notable that Rashad hasn't gassed in a fight since then. I agree though that it was probably the worst performance of Rashad's career, and that was down to his weak conditioning at the time as well as probably underestimating Bisping.
I've not seen Phil gas either, though. And while Rashad has never seen the 4th and 5th rounds, he has trained specifically for them before. He was prepared to go 5 rounds with Machida and his cardio looked like it was on a whole new level in the T.Silva and Rampage fights. Cleanly breathing through his nose at the end of that latter, as if he'd just done a warm up.
Phil's never had a big fight like this and he hasn't really been in that much trouble, although he he did show great adapting skills in the Lil Nog fight. But he hasn't had to fight somebody like Rashad who is going to not just defend the takedown and scramble, but have him on the offensive.
It's a tough fight for the bloke and I really am sorry White and Silva made it, but it's not his time and he's going to get beat up for the most part because he isn't as well rounded and he has very little confidence in his stand up.
2 highly skilled guys. Both hugely talented. I think experience might be a factor in this one. Evans has recorded victories over Liddell, Rampage, Griffin, Bisping and Thiago Silva. Although Stann and Gustaffson are good wins for Mr Wonderful, they are not quite on the same level as the afroementioned fighters that Evans has disposed of. Evans by late TKO or Decision.
Yes boys it was a long time ago. Rashad was a life long athlete 28 years old at the time. he's looking at 33 now. His vo2 max potential has probably not increased.
I know cardio hasn't been a problem lately but I see no reason to think that he has the advantage there now...
I'm a Rashad fan but, I'm also a Big Mr. Wonderful fan and there is something in my DNA that compels me to cheer for the underdog.
Phil Davis is one of the smartest most talented guys to ever step in that cage. He knows his weaknesses he's been working on them and now....
We'll see how wonderful he is.
Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com Ok, seriously though, you're an incredibly physically imposing fighter. You were so physically dominant that in five of your UFC fights, two of your opponents immediately dropped weight classes (Brian Stann and Tim Boetsch) afterward and one left his country to come train with you (Alexander Gustafsson). Does that give you confidence at all now that you're stepping into the cage against an experienced guy like Rashad Evans?
Phil Davis: Yeah, it does give me a little confidence. Where he has experience, I have talent, skills. He has me beat in a lot of areas on paper, but that does give me a little confidence that I can still bring it.
In theory Davis is a better grappler but for actually applying wrestling in MMA I'm not sure there is a significant difference between him and Evans. I expect Evans to win this fairly comfortably.
The most impressed I have ever been with Evans was in his last bout, he looked good, but he was fighting Ortiz. The rest of the current top 5 would beat Tito a lot worse than Nog did IMO, so I don't rate Evans much from that fight.
Davis will test Evans, this is a tough fight to call.
I don't see what Phil brings to the table that Rashad can't deal with. And don't say wrestling because Phil looked terrible with his wrestling against lil nog.
I wanna see Rashad win just so we can see him get wrecked by Jon Jones. Same goes for Sonnen. After all the trash talking, I just wanna see him get beat by Silva.
Seeing the build-up, I love Phil Davis confidence level.
The future of LHW division is clear. Jon Jones, Phi Davis and Alexander Gustafsson.
On paper, Rashad does have the experience factor and the wrestling to counter Davis main skills. However, he hasn't anyone in MMA with the wrestling skills possess by Phil.
On top of that, his last fight was a "not so impressive" victory over Tito Ortiz.
Why was Rashad's win over Ortiz not impressive? I thought it was a very impressive win by Rashad.
I think Rashad wins tonight by being a more explosive athlete and having superior striking and head movement. If Davis can put Rashad on his back though he can make this very interesting.
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