Marcus Davis | Source: MMAWeekly.com
About a month removed from being cut by the UFC, Marcus Davis spoke with Tapology’s Steven Kelliher about his fighting future and responded to sentiments that he should retire.
It seems like just yesterday that Davis was generally regarded as a top ten welterweight. Unfortunately for the New England native, the last two years have been the toughest of his career.
Davis went 1-2 against notable opposition in 2009, broke even at 1-1 in 2010, and lost his first fight of 2011 at UFC 125 when he was caught with a right hand by lightweight knockout artist Jeremy Stephens. The fight was Davis’s first at 155lbs, and it could be his last in the UFC, as he was released by the promotion shortly after the event.
“I felt very in control,” Davis said about the fight. “I actually went in there with some preconceived notions, which I try not to do. I though he was going to overpower me in the clinch and various places because he’s just such a rugged-built guy. He usually throws guys around, but it wasn’t that way when we locked up. How many times did he take me down in that fight? Zero. How many times was he on top of me? Zero. He did kick me in the leg a couple of times, but it’s impossible to say he won either one of the first two rounds. The only offensive thing he went for before the knockout was a Kimura from the bottom.
“Getting caught sucks because I felt very good. It was the punch I didn’t see, which is what they always say, and it happened because I made a mistake. I ducked my head in when I was throwing a left hand and my corner told me not to do it again. When I did it again I got caught. That’s the only time I’ve ever been knocked out with one blow like that.”
Davis goes on the attack against Stephens at UFC 125 | Source: MMAWeekly.com
While some fans and analysts expected Davis to announce retirement plans after the shocking defeat, the fighter maintains that he will continue to compete for as long as he feels he is able to.
“You do have to think about it,” Davis said. “Going into that fight, everything that people sent to me was of people saying that Stephens was too young, too tough, and they were writing me off already. That wasn’t the fact. I was well in control and I was well on my way to winning a decision. I hurt him twice; there were two times that I staggered him and the only reason I think he got out of there was because I slipped when I ran at him. I’m not done, I’m not over the hill, and I’m not washed up. I’ve had some real rough performances recently, but I feel good and I’m training twice a day right now and keeping my weight low.”
As for comparisons to former UFC champion Chuck Liddell, who retired from active competition this year after being knocked out in each of his last three outings, Davis believes they are misplaced.
“There is a difference because with Chuck it was a repetitive thing,” Davis said. “Rashad Evans, who wasn’t known for that, then Shogun and then [Rich] Franklin knocked him out. Against Ben Saunders, I only got stopped because I got nailed with nine knees to the head, and then there was this Stephens fight.”
Regarding his next career move, Davis said he was currently in the midst of entertaining various offers.
“Nothing is official yet, but we’ve had a few offers,” Davis said. “I have actually gotten a lot of U.K. and European offers. I was hoping to hear from Strikeforce, but I know they’ve started that whole thing where they’re not taking UFC fighters coming off of losses.”
Asked how he felt about Strikeforce’s unofficial policy of refusing to sign recent UFC cast-offs, Davis was objective in his assessment.
“I completely understand,” Davis said. “It’s all business and I don’t take any of this stuff personally. I still love the UFC; I have a lot of friends who work behind the scenes there. Mike Goldberg and I are very good friends, as well as his wife and I. As far as Strikeforce is concerned, I can understand why they would want to continue that policy from a business standpoint. With me, the one thing that they miss out on—and it’s my major selling point to anyone—is that my fights tend to be exciting.”
The action heats up between Davis and Stephens | Source: MMAWeekly.com
Regardless of where he next competes, Davis said he will do so at 155lbs, claiming he is uninterested in taking future fights at welterweight, though offers have come in.
While Davis will live to fight another day, and still hopes to make it back into a top promotion like the UFC in the near future, his career is undoubtedly winding down. At 37, Davis knows it is a question he will have to seriously consider in the near future, but that does not mean it will be easy.
“It’s everything,” Davis said about his fighting career. “How do I walk away? It’s such a part of me, a part of my life, and it’s a part of how I see myself as a person. I’ve been competing and fighting since I was eight years old. The times that I’ve tried to walk away, it feels like I’ve cut off a part of me. The other part is that I feel like I haven’t done what I set out to do in terms of establishing some sort of legacy. I don’t want my last fight to be that one. I’m still hungry and I think I still have a lot more to offer. The important thing is that I do have the desire and I think about that desire every day.”
Stay tuned for information regarding Davis’s next career move as details become available.
