Light-Heavyweight contender Lyoto Machida says says he understands the dangers Phil Davis poses for their upcoming bout at UFC 163. Machida explains what he sees as reasons to respect what Davis brings to the table in his recent interview with the UFC in a pre-fight interview.
“I’ve been training my wrestling defense as well as the attacks. Because when you learn the attacks you learn [how] to defend them.”
Machida also says he is aware of Davis’ stand up and how much it has improved.
“I’ve been seeing that Phil Davis has evolved a lot in his striking game. He’s been throwing combos. He’s kicking and throwing punches. Even though he’s not a striker he’s a guy that’s been working a lot on striking. I believe that my advantage will be my striking. I feel very comfortable with striking. I’ve fought many wrestlers, I know how to deal with them. I feel very confident my striking will be the difference in this fight.”
The significance of the fight is well known, as both men are in line for the next shot against Light-Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones. Machida is sure he can find his way back to a title bout.
“I’m going to be very prepared. I’m going to stick to the No. 1 Contender spot.”
Davis is currently riding a two-fight win streak, with a loss to Rashad Evans being the only black mark in his otherwise perfect career. Machida has an equal winning streak, knocking out Ryan Bader in UFC on Fox 4 and besting Dan Henderson at UFC 157 via decision.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com