Phil Davis faces former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans at UFC 133 on August 6 in Philadelphia. This is a big step up for Davis, a former NCAA division 1 national wrestling champion. He's never headlined a UFC pay per view event before.
And in Evans he'll face one of the UFC's biggest pay per view draws. Davis spoke to Dustin Green of the Fight Fix about being the underdog:
You can also see The Fight Fix at CSNWashington.com.
SBNation and Comcast SportsNet are proud to bring you The Fight Fix here on BloodyElbow.com and SBNation.com/MMA every week.
Full transcript after the jump.
Full transcript:
1:17, on adjusting to his recent success: "Man, it's been a crazy 7 months man. My neighbors - they didn't know who I was. Next thing I know, my neighbors are like 'Man Phil! I saw you had a package. I didn't want it to just sit there, because I was worried about you. I now you need your packages Phill!' It's like everybody's just looking out for me you know. I left my garage open, they closed my garage. I mean just crazy stuff. Everybody is just doing what they can. Helping me out. Tryin' to help me get to the top. It's been crazy man, I appreciate it. I just love all the fans and the support I get. It's been a great couple of months."
2:12, on if he likes being under the radar in comparison to Rahad Evans: "Absolutely. I like being under the radar. I like being the underdog. I'd prefer people to think that Rashad's gonna win. That leaves me with nothing to do but my job - to get in there and entertain. Anything I do will be like 'Man, I didn't know he knew how to punch? Man, he looks like he's dazed!' Anything I do will be icing on the cake. I like coming in as the underdog. Eventually, I won't be. By the time I get to that point, I'll be capable of coming in as the favorite and just being a strong favorite."
3:03, on making improvements in his game as he prepares for Rashad: "My last fight, I missed a couple of takedowns...and that bothers me. Wrestling is what I do. It's what I love to do. It's a battle I win every time. 100%. Anytime I don't win that battle 100%, that bothers me. That's something I'm gonna correct. Later on, people will say 'Phil is unstoppable when it comes to wrestling.' I want that to be one of the things that people say about me. That way it casts a bigger shadow over the other things that I do well. If I'm ok at wrestling, ok at striking, oik at Jiu Jitsu, you're just all around well. But if you do something great, people don't really talk about the other things that you do. To me, I kinda like that because it gives you a chance to surprise some people."
3:57, on his place in the 205 division & where a win will put him: "I really don't know where this would put me other than in a really great spot. Really great spot with the company. Really great spot in that title line. It's the next step in my career. This is gonna put me in that elite level of the 205 division."
4:33, on staying prepared for short notice fights: "I also stepped in on 2 weeks notice against Rodney Wallace. It's not even like a negative thing to me. It's a potential opportunity. It's an opportunity for me to get out there and show what I can do. When you step in short notice, people automatically think you're the underdog. People think 'Oh, well this guys been preparing for this fight date, so he should be the better guy.' In all truthfulness, yea, it's true. For me, I try to stay in good shape. I try to always be in the gym. When I get a call - fight this guy, short notice - I'm all in. Because I know I been working. I know I've been keeping my running up. It's just me. If you dare me to do anything, I will do it."
And in Evans he'll face one of the UFC's biggest pay per view draws. Davis spoke to Dustin Green of the Fight Fix about being the underdog:
"Man, it's been a crazy 7 months man. My neighbors - they didn't know who I was. Next thing I know, my neighbors are like 'Man Phil! I saw you had a package. I didn't want it to just sit there, because I was worried about you. I now you need your packages Phill!' It's like everybody's just looking out for me you know. I left my garage open, they closed my garage. I mean just crazy stuff. Everybody is just doing what they can. Helping me out. Tryin' to help me get to the top. It's been crazy man, I appreciate it. I just love all the fans and the support I get. It's been a great couple of months."
You can also see The Fight Fix at CSNWashington.com.
SBNation and Comcast SportsNet are proud to bring you The Fight Fix here on BloodyElbow.com and SBNation.com/MMA every week.
Full transcript after the jump.
Full transcript:
1:17, on adjusting to his recent success: "Man, it's been a crazy 7 months man. My neighbors - they didn't know who I was. Next thing I know, my neighbors are like 'Man Phil! I saw you had a package. I didn't want it to just sit there, because I was worried about you. I now you need your packages Phill!' It's like everybody's just looking out for me you know. I left my garage open, they closed my garage. I mean just crazy stuff. Everybody is just doing what they can. Helping me out. Tryin' to help me get to the top. It's been crazy man, I appreciate it. I just love all the fans and the support I get. It's been a great couple of months."
2:12, on if he likes being under the radar in comparison to Rahad Evans: "Absolutely. I like being under the radar. I like being the underdog. I'd prefer people to think that Rashad's gonna win. That leaves me with nothing to do but my job - to get in there and entertain. Anything I do will be like 'Man, I didn't know he knew how to punch? Man, he looks like he's dazed!' Anything I do will be icing on the cake. I like coming in as the underdog. Eventually, I won't be. By the time I get to that point, I'll be capable of coming in as the favorite and just being a strong favorite."
3:03, on making improvements in his game as he prepares for Rashad: "My last fight, I missed a couple of takedowns...and that bothers me. Wrestling is what I do. It's what I love to do. It's a battle I win every time. 100%. Anytime I don't win that battle 100%, that bothers me. That's something I'm gonna correct. Later on, people will say 'Phil is unstoppable when it comes to wrestling.' I want that to be one of the things that people say about me. That way it casts a bigger shadow over the other things that I do well. If I'm ok at wrestling, ok at striking, oik at Jiu Jitsu, you're just all around well. But if you do something great, people don't really talk about the other things that you do. To me, I kinda like that because it gives you a chance to surprise some people."
3:57, on his place in the 205 division & where a win will put him: "I really don't know where this would put me other than in a really great spot. Really great spot with the company. Really great spot in that title line. It's the next step in my career. This is gonna put me in that elite level of the 205 division."
4:33, on staying prepared for short notice fights: "I also stepped in on 2 weeks notice against Rodney Wallace. It's not even like a negative thing to me. It's a potential opportunity. It's an opportunity for me to get out there and show what I can do. When you step in short notice, people automatically think you're the underdog. People think 'Oh, well this guys been preparing for this fight date, so he should be the better guy.' In all truthfulness, yea, it's true. For me, I try to stay in good shape. I try to always be in the gym. When I get a call - fight this guy, short notice - I'm all in. Because I know I been working. I know I've been keeping my running up. It's just me. If you dare me to do anything, I will do it."