The Junkie Report: Davis in swing of things
When UFC welterweight Marcus Davis (12-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) goes for his 10th consecutive victory – including his fifth straight win in the UFC – it might just come in front of a national television audience.
UFCjunkie.com has confirmed with Spike TV executives that the "Ultimate Fighter 2" cast member's UFC 75 bout on Sept. 8 at the O2 Arena with Paul Taylor (8-1-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned "swing bout" status. Currently, the London event has four fights that are guaranteed televised slots, but time permitting, the Davis-Taylor fight will be broadcast as well.
UFC 75 will air via tape delay on Spike TV. PRIDE champion Dan Henderon faces UFC champion Quinton Jackson in the night's main event. The fight will unify the two 205-pound belts.
Davis, a former professional boxer with a 17-1-2 career record, retired from the sport in 2000 to pursue a career in mixed-martial arts. He appeared on the second season of Spike TV's reality series, but after getting knocked out of competition in the opening round, he vowed to complement his striking skills with a solid ground game.
"Jorge (Gurgel) and I became friends on the show," Davis said of his castmate. "He invited me out to his school (in West Chester, Ohio) and started teaching me the ground game. I was just doing wrestling-based stuff for my ground game -- not much from my back. Jorge gave me some great tools, and we've become good buddies."
Splitting time between his own training center (Team Irish MMA) in Maine and Gurgel's school in Ohio, the 34-year-old has surpassed all expectations. During his current win streak, five of his seven stoppages have come via submission, which have included victories via neck crank, ankle lock, armbar and guillotine choke.
His confidence in those submission skills is now obvious. When asked about his opponent Taylor (a former kickboxer and one-time Cage Rage middleweight champion), Davis was quick to make a prediction.
"If we go to the ground, he's screwed."
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