Whatever has revolved around the ongoing feud between rivals Rashad Evans and Jon Jones, Phil Davis doesn’t seem to want any part of it.In fact, he prefers to not get involved. At UFC 133, Davis will meet Evans in what should be one the toughest m…
Whatever has revolved around the ongoing feud between rivals Rashad Evans and Jon Jones, Phil Davis doesn’t seem to want any part of it.
In fact, he prefers to not get involved.
At UFC 133, Davis will meet Evans in what should be one the toughest matchups of his young career. However, with all the attention surrounding Evans and Jones, Davis would be considered an afterthought, even though he is headlining the main card.
In an interview with MMAFighting.com, Davis told reporter Ariel Helwani that he is happy to know that Evans is focused more on Jones than him.
“I’m glad he has other things to worry about and focus on,” Davis told Helwani.
“I have one thing I’m worried about and that’s Rashad Evans.”
Davis, who is stepping in for Evans’ original opponent, Jon Jones, added that Evans is distracted from everything around him, including Jones and his new training camp, and it is a lot to think about.
Evans has not fought since his bout with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 114, and once UFC 133 arrives, it will have been a year since fans last saw “Suga” in the Octagon.
But come August 6, Davis said he hopes all the distractions will affect Evans in some way, resulting in an intriguing bout for the Pennsylvania native.
“All these things I think are gonna come into play and make for a very interesting fight,” he said.
UFC 133 takes place live on August 6, live from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
MMA Fighting recently spoke to light heavyweight Phil Davis about his upcoming fight against Rashad Evans at UFC 133. “Mr. Wonderful” talked about why he took the fight against Evans, how he expects the fight to play out, his take on the Jon Jones-Rashad Evans feud and much more.
MMA Fighting recently spoke to light heavyweight Phil Davis about his upcoming fight against Rashad Evans at UFC 133. “Mr. Wonderful” talked about why he took the fight against Evans, how he expects the fight to play out, his take on the Jon Jones-Rashad Evans feud and much more.
Filed under: UFCFaced with what might be one of the toughest career decisions for a mixed martial artist, Chad Mendes wasted little time in coming to a decision. The unbeaten 26-year-old featherweight contender had already been mentioned as the likely …
Faced with what might be one of the toughest career decisions for a mixed martial artist, Chad Mendes wasted little time in coming to a decision. The unbeaten 26-year-old featherweight contender had already been mentioned as the likely next opponent for division champion Jose Aldo. An August date had been mentioned as a possibility. Everything seemed to be lining up perfectly for his shot at gold. But then Aldo announced he wouldn’t be ready by August.
With the prospective Aldo match pushed back a month or two into the fall, Mendes (10-0) had two options: train and wait, or train and fight someone else. He chose the latter, putting his title opportunity in jeopardy. But on Tuesday’s edition of The MMA Hour, Mendes said it was not a particularly hard call to make for him and his team.
“We talked about it,” he said. “It definitely is something we were thinking about, but I want to compete. It’s frustrating to get in here and train 2-3 times a day hard, every day, and not have a light at the end of the tunnel, a fight to look forward to. That’s what motivates me. Getting that opponent, knowing who it is, watching tape on him, that’s what motivates me to get in and bust my butt every day. It’s frustrating not knowing, so like I said, I just want to compete.”
He acknowledged that the decision was made a bit easer by the fact that the bout was not yet official. Neither side had ever signed a contract. Still, Aldo-Mendes was clearly the intended direction of the promotion.
The would-be challenger said in addition to wanting to get a hard date for his next bout, he also prefers to give the champion proper time to heal rather than simply hoping he can make a proposed date.
“It’s something I wanted and it’s what I was pushing for, but overall if he’s injured, take as much time as you need,” he said. “I’d rather fight the best Jose Aldo there is and have no excuses.
“I love to fight,” he continued. “I want to get in there and compete. I didn’t want to wait 8-9 months if he wasn’t going to fight. So I decided to go with Rani Yahya, a for-sure fight. I had the contract in front of me, so I took it.”
Mendes’ bout with Yahya will take place at UFC 133 on August 6 — the same date he would have faced Aldo. The former WEC star won his UFC debut in February with a unanimous decision over Michihiro Omigawa, making it a perfect 5-for-5 in Zuffa-promoted bouts.
Yahya (16-6) is a very different fighter from Aldo. While the champion Aldo is all fast-twitch muscle, a wiry, powerful striker with capable takedowns, Yahya is a submission specialist who has 14 wins via tapout. In his last bout, he defeated former champ Mike Brown via decision.
Before that, though, Yahya had lost two in a row. The Brown fight marked his return to featherweight, and Mendes feels it’s a better weight class for him, as evidenced by the way he controlled Brown.
“I think 145 is his more natural weight,” he said. “You can tell he feels a lot better. He dominated Brown, and Brown’s a strong wrestler. It looked like he just overpowered him. I’m not looking past the guy at all.”
Given Yahya’s jiu-jitsu pedigree, this could be the type of match where Mendes uses his wrestling in reverse, to keep the fight standing where he feels he has an edge. Even though Mendes admits his standup is “probably the weakest part” of his game, he adds that it’s not weak at all, simply suffering in comparison to other aspects. He adds that he has no qualms in taking the fight to the ground against a dangerous submission specialist.
A win would make him 11-0, and he hopes that the sum total of all this will be the same payoff he was originally supposed to get: a matchup with Aldo.
“Honestly, it’s not something that’s been told to me by anyone important,” he said. “I’m hoping that’s what’s going to happen. I honestly believe that’s what I deserve. I feel like I’ve proven myself and if I beat Yahya, that’s just another step to the title. So like I said, no one’s told me, but let’s keep our fingers crossed. “
Bleacher Report’s Mike Hodges:According to MMAFighting.com, “Fight Now TV,” a 24-hour combat sports channel, is scheduled to launch today in New York and the tri-state area.The channel, which was a two-year project to create, will be dedicated to fe…
Bleacher Report’s Mike Hodges:
According to MMAFighting.com, “Fight Now TV,” a 24-hour combat sports channel, is scheduled to launch today in New York and the tri-state area.
The channel, which was a two-year project to create, will be dedicated to featuring all combat sports including mixed martial arts, boxing, grappling and kickboxing.
Considering one of the company’s minority owners is none other than UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, MMA would be have to be considered to be one of the channel’s featured programs.
Creator and founder Mike Garrow said the company will take time to grow, but it will ultimately establish itself as a top product.
“I want people to understand we’re trying to put our best foot forward,” Garrow told MMAFighting.com.
Bleacher Report’s Sal DeRose:Chad Mendes won’t be waiting for Jose Aldo. Instead, he will take a fight and remain on the UFC 133 card in Philadelphia.Mendes will now face Rani Yahya at UFC 133, according to MMA Junkie.The UFC 133 card took another hit…
Bleacher Report’s Sal DeRose:
Chad Mendes won’t be waiting for Jose Aldo. Instead, he will take a fight and remain on the UFC 133 card in Philadelphia.
The UFC 133 card took another hit when it was announced that Aldo would not be able to defend his title against the top contender, Mendes. That is the second championship bout that could have happened in the UFC’s second trip to Philadelphia.
The other championship bout was rumored to be Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans for the light heavyweight title before Jones put off the fight for surgery. Jones opted not to go through with the surgery.
Mendes made his UFC debut earlier this year in February with a unanimous decision victory over Michihiro Omigawa at UFC 126. Mendes is currently undefeated with a 10-0 mark.
Bleacher Report’s MMA news recap for Tuesday, May 24:Rashad Evans makes his pick for the UFC 130 main event.UFC 131: A look at Shane Carwin as he trains for the main event.Jose Aldo will not be fighting Chad Mendes at UFC 133.Rampage Jackson talks UFC …
Bleacher Report’s MMA news recap for Tuesday, May 24:
Rashad Evans makes his pick for the UFC 130 main event.
UFC 131: A look at Shane Carwin as he trains for the main event.
Jose Aldo will not be fighting Chad Mendes at UFC 133.
Rampage Jackson talks UFC 130 fight with Matt Hamill.
UFC 133: Chad Mendes To Face Rani Yahya in Philadelphia.
MMA News: “Fight Now TV” Network Launches on Tuesday.
Whatever has revolved around the ongoing feud between rivals Rashad Evans and Jon Jones, Phil Davis doesn’t seem to want any part of it.
MMA Fighting recently spoke to light heavyweight 
Faced with what might be one of the toughest career decisions for a mixed martial artist, 
Chad Mendes won’t be waiting for Jose Aldo. Instead, he will take a fight and remain on the UFC 133 card in Philadelphia.