By defeating Liz “Girlrilla” Carmouche on Wednesday at UFC Fight for the Troops 3, Alexis “Ally-Gator” Davis has vaulted herself into serious contention for a shot at the women’s bantamweight title.
With Cat Zingano rehabbing her injured knees, per MMA Weekly (via Yahoo! Sports), there is no other fighter in the division more worthy of facing the winner of the Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate bout set for UFC 168.
Davis came into Wednesday night’s battle known primarily for her submission skills, but she showed other facets to her game. Seven of Davis’ 15 wins have come by submission, but her leg kicks to the inner thigh of Carmouche set the tone of the fight. She backed her up the entire night and left no doubt who controlled the center of the Octagon.
Davis even absorbed a handful of hard right hands from Carmouche. One opened up a nasty gash over her left eye, but she kept coming.
The fact that she only pursued one takedown shows how confident she was in her stand-up game. We know how solid her ground game is. Davis now looks to be one of the most well-rounded fighters in her division.
If Rousey defeats Tate again in December at UFC 168, she and Davis would be an interesting battle.
Rousey is a better athlete, but she may not enjoy the same advantage on the ground that she usually does. There is no doubt Davis would be the underdog heading into a fight with Rousey, but she did enough on Wednesday to at least make it interesting.
If Tate upsets Rousey, Davis would likely have to wait to get her shot at the belt. Rousey is one of the biggest stars in the sport. She’ll almost certainly get an immediate rematch if she wants one.
In any case, Davis improved her stock significantly. She has now won four fights in a row and owns victories over Julie Kedzie, Amanda Nunes—who also won on Wednesday—and Carmouche.
After Wednesday’s big win, Davis is ready to take the next step in her career.
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