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On December 13, 2006 at Marine Corps. Air Station Miramar in San Diego, Marcus Davis was able to show the entire world just how far he has come. In front of the packed crowd of U.S. Marines and a live television audience, Marcus won his UFC match against savvy MMA veteran Shonie Carter in dominant fashion.
The result tied all of the loose ends of doubt that may have been in the minds of MMA fans. Marcus Davis is no longer a pro boxer who fights MMA. He is an MMA fighter who used to be a pro boxer.
AN EVOLUTION
Marcus Davis had his first amateur boxing bout at age 14. By the age of 19, he had turned pro. The squared circle was kind to the man who is known as "The Irish Hand Grenade." He showcased his powerful striking on the national screen, including on ESPN and Fox Sports, all while compiling and impressive professional boxing record of 17-1-2.
Eventually, however, the sweet science proved to run its course in terms of interest for Marcus Davis. The MMA bug was about to bite.
"When the grappling craze began to hit around 1993, I started messing around," says Davis. "At that time, I wasn't taking it real seriously because I was under contract as a pro boxer. So obviously most of my focus was on boxing. I kept getting cut in the ring [however], and boxing just got old to me. I boxed from age 14 until I was about 30. I decided that I wanted to change the pace, so I started training seriously at mixed martial arts."
It wasn't long before Davis decided to trade in his boxing gloves for those of the open-fingered 4-ounce variety. The transition from one sport to the other was not as easy as the simple changing of leathered weaponry. There was much more to it than that.
"When I first started in boxing, I fought like you should in MMA," recalls Davis. "I came out early and fought really aggressively. But when you become a better boxer, you pace yourself so that you can do a 10- or 12-round fight. In mixed martial arts, you have to be like I was at the beginning of my boxing career. You have to go out and you have to bring the fight to your opponent because you only have three 5-minute rounds. You have to go out, and you have to be efficient. You must quickly go out and be the aggressor, the attacker. For me, that was the hardest part of making the transition."
With a new sport come trials and tribulations. Davis was successful as he won his first three MMA fights via TKO. However, his next two fights were losses: a split decision followed by being the victim of a rear naked choke.
"I used to bank on sprawling and trying to keep fights on my feet," says Davis. "I used to only think of myself as a striker."
NEVER STOP FIGHTING
Davis first gained national MMA recognition on "The Ultimate Fighter 2." While on the show, he battled several injuries, including a very serious Staph infection in his feet and face and a shoulder injury. Although he was eliminated from the reality show after losing his opening bout to (eventual winner) Joe Stevenson, Davis never quit working. He never stopped improving.
It's funny how quickly things change. Marcus Davis was out of the UFC and into the other "leagues," but he kept on fighting. From chokes to armbars, his bag of submissions quickly became full. The former boxer has found a new home on the mat, and he was anything but just a striker.
"I've worked hard," he says. "I've rolled with the BJJ guys. I've rolled with good grapplers, and I'm not getting tapped out. Even if I'm not always tapping them out, I'm not getting submitted. Now, I'm very comfortable being on the ground. I no longer care where the fight goes."
The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. Davis has won six fights in a row and five of these wins have come via submission.
"My coach, Mark Dellagrotti, (feels) that my grappling has become as good as most purple or brown belts in BJJ," says Davis. "I'm very proud of that."
It almost took a year of staying active (and winning) in mostly regional fights at smaller shows, but Marcus Davis finally made it back to the national stage. On the same card as Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3, Marcus re-entered the Octagon and secured an impressive UFC victory over the always-dangerous Forrest Petz-via submission nonetheless.
To be sure, Marcus Davis is an MMA fighter who used to be a pro boxer.
THIS IS FIGHT DAY?
Sweaty palms, a rapid heartbeat and a queasy stomach.
For me, these would be the symptoms suffered prior to my match on fight day, but that is not the case for MMA fighter Marcus Davis. This consummate professional begins his fight day in a laidback fashion and now finishes them just as smoothly.
"On fight days, I'm pretty relaxed," he says. "I don't dwell on anything. In my mind, I feel that I'm going to win. It's just that I don't know by which method-whether it'll be by knockout or by submission. I focus my perspective on how. So, that keeps me pretty calm. I do some visualization and play the different scenarios that might happen, depending on my opponent."
This is not to say that Davis does not sweat before his fight. But instead of a nervous sweat, Davis' sweat comes from the work he does during his pre-fight regimen. Could you throw punch and kick combinations for seven full rounds as a warm-up? Marcus does ... before every fight.
I became exhausted while watching the reps culminate. The humid and stale locker room air was enough to take the starch out of anyone, much less adding strict round-by-round combos into the mix. Including his work on the mat, Marcus goes through at least 30 minutes of warm-up drills prior to each fight.
When asked about the specifics of his pre-fight drills, Marcus replies, "Including shadowboxing, mittwork and grappling, I end up doing 10 to 12 three-minute rounds. I want to make sure that I'm on my second wind going into the fight. I want to make sure that I'm fully worked out. You don't want to go into the fight cold. I've done that before, and it sucks." - KT
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