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UFC 133: Phil Davis Doesn’t Plan on Losing to Rashad Evans

During the past few months, many of the UFC’s top fighters have been plagued by injuries, the latest being light heavyweight champion and Greg Jackson prodigy, Jon Jones. The highly anticipated bout between two former friends, Rashad Evans and Jo…

During the past few months, many of the UFC’s top fighters have been plagued by injuries, the latest being light heavyweight champion and Greg Jackson prodigy, Jon Jones.

The highly anticipated bout between two former friends, Rashad Evans and Jon Jones, has been postponed due to Jones getting injured during training when he tore a ligament in his right hand.

Evans’ last scheduled bout with then-champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua was also postponed when Rua was injured during training. Evans chose to wait for Rua to heal and for his shot at regaining the light UFC heavyweight title, a decision that he has come to regret.

This time, while not a title shot, Evans will not be waiting on his opponent as the undefeated and very hungry, Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis steps up to replace the champion in what could be a three-round war between two of the sport’s best wrestlers.

While Evans and Jones continue their newfound grudge via Twitter, Davis is focused on only one thing: his fight with Evans at UFC 133.

Stepping up and seizing the opportunity is nothing new to Davis. He stepped up to replace Tito Ortiz in his last fight against former PRIDE fighter, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira also known as, “Little Nog”. Davis beat Nogueria by unanimous decision, controlling him with his superior wrestling.

According to Eric Fontanez at MMA Weekly, Davis is preparing for a battle against an opponent of equal, if not better wrestling skills.

“He’s someone I should definitely be concerned about with my skill set…I expect a pretty good fight,” Davis said.

“I invite the opportunity to face someone of his level of wrestling and I think I’ll be fine.”

Regardless of Evans’ wrestling ability, Davis plans on controlling the fight.

“I like to think I’m going to be the one controlling the pace of any fight,” he said. “And I don’t think this will be any different.

“I will take this fight wherever it wants to go.”

Even though Davis is undefeated, he will be facing an experienced former champion with only one loss on his record and who has been in deep water before.

Considering each of these great athletes wrestling experience, this fight could turn out to be a high-paced wrestling match. Regardless, Davis is facing the biggest test and challenge of his career.

For Davis, it’s just another opportunity, one that leads to a light heavyweight title shot and one he doesn’t plan on losing.

“Losing was never something I planned on doing.”

Davis told MMA Heat’s Karyn Bryant that it makes no difference to him who he fights.

“To me it’s not about fighting people. I don’t care if you can beat this guy or that guy. I want to have the belt.”

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UFC Rio: Mauricio Rua’s Coach Says Rua Will Improve His Skills at New Camp

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is one of the best fighters at 205 lbs, but his coach Rafael Cordeiro hopes he can recapture his dominance that made him a champion. But since the former UFC light heavyweight champion has reunited with his longtime coach, Co…

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is one of the best fighters at 205 lbs, but his coach Rafael Cordeiro hopes he can recapture his dominance that made him a champion.

But since the former UFC light heavyweight champion has reunited with his longtime coach, Cordeiro said he plans to fix some of his weaknesses that were present in his loss to Jon Jones at UFC 128.

“The training here will make him stronger, but we’re not a miracle house,” Cordeiro told Sherdog.com.

“This is a place where he’ll work hard, a place where he’ll make sure he’ll never again fight like he did against Jones.”

The talks of Rua joining Kings MMA came at the request of Cordeiro, who will help the Brazilian prepare for his upcoming bout against Forrest Griffin at UFC Rio. Rua and Griffin last met in 2007, in a bout that saw Griffin upset his opponent in unpredictable fashion, in which Griffin earned the victory via rear naked choke.

At the time, Rua was making his debut for the UFC and was highly touted as the best light heavyweight in the world.

Cordeiro added that bringing Rua into Kings MMA was discussed prior to his title bout against Jones.

“We talked before the Jon Jones fight, but some family issues prevented him from coming to the U.S.,” Cordeiro said.

“It was easy to convince him because of our friendship and affection.”

And it is because of their friendship that has Cordeiro convinced Rua will evolve and perform better at UFC Rio.

“I was his coach from the time he was a white belt until he was a black belt. No one knows him as I do, and I can say there is a lot we can add here to improve on his game.”

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MMA: Should It Extend Title Bouts to 10 Rounds?

The judging system in MMA has been a perennial topic of hot debate. Whether it’s due to inexperience or a lack of monitors, fans and fighters are fed up with controversial decisions. What if extra rounds were added to every fight? Just think about it. …

The judging system in MMA has been a perennial topic of hot debate.

Whether it’s due to inexperience or a lack of monitors, fans and fighters are fed up with controversial decisions.

What if extra rounds were added to every fight?

Just think about it. What if the first championship bout between Lyoto Machida and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua went five more rounds? How about an extra two rounds in the grudge fight between Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson? Machida versus Rampage?

UFC heavyweight contender Roy “Big Country” Nelson recently spoke to ESPN.com about the addition of three-minute rounds.

This would extend the rounds in every professional MMA bout to five, and championship bouts would be decided in 10 rounds.

“They want to add more championship rounds. That’s where I say switch everything to three minutes and go 10 rounds. Then you have a lot of ups and downs,” said Nelson.

The increase in momentum shifts would add to the general excitement for MMA fans. Also, fighters won’t have the luxury of eating time off the clock in an attempt to feel out an opponent. With three-minute rounds, it could encourage fighters to be more aggressive to avoid losing the shorter rounds.

“You’ll probably see a lot more action because you’re constantly trying to win the round,” Nelson said. “Guys wouldn’t be feeling out for two minutes. It’s boom, you’ve got to go right away.”

The ambiguity of MMA judging has definitely raised eyebrows over the years. A last-minute takedown could be the difference between winning and losing, even if you’ve edged out the majority of a round.

“I’d say judges lose sight. One guy will dominate for four minutes, the other guy dominates for a minute, and they give the round to the second guy,” said Nelson.

“I’ve watched fights where I actually take a stopwatch and say, ‘No, he won four minutes of that round, but the judges gave it to the other guy.’ They just remember that last minute. Three minutes is short enough that the whole round stays in your head.”

A controversial fight that many point to, including Nelson, is the UFC 123 light heavyweight tilt involving Machida and Jackson. The judges awarded the split decision to Jackson, who edged out the first couple of rounds. There wasn’t much action in the bout until Machida pounced on an opening in the final round and stunned Jackson with a combination of punches.

“Split that up and Machida wins, hands down,” stated Nelson. “The first two rounds could have been 10-10, because nothing happened. Then Machida dominated late.”

While intriguing, the sport could be a long way away from this kind of adjustment, but the chances of such a major change happening isn’t unrealistic. Even Keith Keizer, who is the executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, sees logic in Nelson’s proposal.

“Three-minute rounds is less stuff to judge,” said Kizer. “It’s easier to run a mile than a marathon. Five minutes is a long time, and it does make judging difficult.”

(SportsHaze.com)

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Shogun Rua on Trilogy with Lyoto Machida: "I Don’t Know When, But It’ll Happen"

Lyoto Machida can’t seem to get enough attention these days following his UFC 129 win over Randy Couture.The Brazilian’s highlight reel knockout has not only been considered a Knockout of the Year candidate, but the spectacular finish also caught the e…

Lyoto Machida can’t seem to get enough attention these days following his UFC 129 win over Randy Couture.

The Brazilian’s highlight reel knockout has not only been considered a Knockout of the Year candidate, but the spectacular finish also caught the eye of a familiar foe: Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

Rua praised the former UFC light heavyweight champion for his win over Couture, commenting on his finishing ability.

“It really was a beautiful kick, but I knew he’d win”, Rua said to TATAME.com

Rua also acknowledged the fact that he will meet Machida again at some point in his career. The two Brazilians have met on two previous occasions that saw each of them walk away with a win, ultimately setting up a third bout, which according to Rua seems inevitable.

“Lyoto absolutely is a guy I might have to fight again someday, and I believe I will. I don’t know when, but it’ll happen.”

After relinquishing his light heavyweight title to Jon Jones at UFC 128, Rua will return to the Octagon at UFC Rio where he will square off against Forrest Griffin, who also holds a victory over Rua from their first encounter at UFC 76.

Should Rua get past Griffin at UFC Rio, it is possible that a trilogy would likely occur between the two light heavyweights in the near future.

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Wednesday Morning MMA Link Club

(UFC 129: The Battle to Not Screw Up the GSP/Silva Superfight.)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…
– Fedor Emelianenko …

(UFC 129: The Battle to Not Screw Up the GSP/Silva Superfight.)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

– Fedor Emelianenko Discusses Overeem, Respect, and Role Models (LowKick)

– The Shogun Rua vs. Jon Jones Pic That Will Send Chills Down Your Spine (MMA Convert)

– How MMA Helped Packers’ Clay Matthews Become a Super Bowl XLV Champion (5thRound)

– Forrest Griffin Possibly Sidelined For Six Months With Foot Injury (Five Ounces of Pain)

– Mike Brown on Recent UFC Losses: ‘My Heart Is Broken’ (MMA Fighting)

– Dan Henderson Nearly Accepted a Spot on the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix (MiddleEasy)

– Anthony Pettis ‘Mad’ He Has to Wait for Title Shot (Versus MMA Beat)

– Jon Jones vs. Anderson Silva: How Great Would That Be For UFC? (SBNation.com/MMA)

– UFC Vet Ben Saunders Signs With Bellator (FightMagazine)

– Snapshot of the Day: In Case You Were Wondering, Gina Carano is Still Pretty and Stuff (MMA-Scraps)

Rashad Evans Staying Positive in the Face of Tragedy, Tells Jon Jones to ‘Go Get That Belt’

("I just want y’all to know that this shit is not awkward whatsoever.")
Rashad Evans’s unexpected knee injury may be a career-altering nightmare scenario, but the former light-heavyweight champion is doing his best to put on a brave public…

("I just want y’all to know that this shit is not awkward whatsoever.")

Rashad Evans‘s unexpected knee injury may be a career-altering nightmare scenario, but the former light-heavyweight champion is doing his best to put on a brave public face. After the bad news was dropped at UFC 126, Sugar posted the following on RashadEvans.tv:

"Hey my ppl! Last night most of u heard the news. If not here is the latest. I have 2 pull out of my Shogun fight because of injury. I severely sprained my MCL in practice. While in practice I got blindsided by another group of partners right into the side of my knee like football lineman style.. Since I’m hurt my teammate young phenom Bones Jones is gonna step in 4 me! I’m gonna recover & then see what happens next 4 me! Thank all u 4 the encouragement! I love my supports & my haters! Go get that belt brudda Jones!"