Phil Davis: Compliment Sandwich

When Phil Davis signed with the UFC many people (including myself) viewed it as a defensive signing since Davis was a top prospect, but not ready for UFC caliber fighters.  While many were correct in claiming Davis was raw and not anywhere near his potential, his ability to control the location of the fight was not given enough credence (plus the UFC matchmaking abilities).  UFC 112 once again showed us the same strengths and same weaknesses from Phil Davis.  So, despite the dominant performance, did we learn anything or has there been any improvement?  In the following article I provide what Stewie Griffin refers to as a compliment sandwich.  I start will something positive, provide some areas to approve upon, and finish with something positive.  Sounds good, let's go.

SBN coverage of UFC 112: Invincible

We all know Davis is a physical freak.  His legs are like tree trunks and he probably walks in the cage larger than some heavyweights.  You can tell his strength based off how gassed Gustafsson was.  If you watch the fight you can tell that at 1:30 mark Alexander is completely gassed.  Spending less than one round resisting takedowns (moderately well) and dealing with Davis's strength Gustafsson had NOTHING left.  However, something that gets left off when discussing Davis is his quickness and speed and how easily he can collapse the pocket.  Davis is currently a fighter with serious holes in his striking and has what I like to refer to as the Frankenstein approach.  However, his ability to close the distance and clinch up or press the cage with his opponent helps hide his flaw and reduce the time he is vulnerable.  Gustafsson is a solid striker and would most likely manhandle Davis in a kickboxing match, but there was very little time where the two fighters were at a distance.  Davis's lack of desire to trade punches is not a sign of fear, but a sign of intelligence.  Many times we witness fighters trying to knockout their opponent or make the highlight reel, but Davis appears to fight smart and go for the "W."  Very impressive and disciplined from such a young fighter.

However, Davis is definitely not without fault and we continued to witness this at 112.  Most obviously is his striking.  It is simply nonexistent and when it does make an appearance it is not a pretty thing to witness.  His defense consists of extending his arms and attempting to push his opponents.  In addition, when he floods the pocket he leaves himself open to get clipped.  Phil Davis also ran into some new problems at 112 that were not seen in his earlier fights and something that is surprising considering his wrestling base.  There were a couple times on the mat where he gave up dominant positions and allowed Gustafsson to escape.  Although, I would be less worried about this than the development of his striking.  It appeared to mostly be a case of over aggressiveness from a young fighter.  I have not doubts that Davis is capable of controlling almost anyone on the mat with his size and skill.  He just needs to remember "position before submission" and he'll be fine.

Did we learn anything though from this fight?  Yes, Davis did finish with a quick Anaconda Choke, but despite Alexander's prospect status, he is far from a ground fighter and his grappling is definitely his major weakness.  We did not witness Davis's striking to learn if there has been improvement and Davis was a significant favorite going into the fight.  While his performance was impressive, was there any improvement or signs he will improve in the future?  The most telling sign of what we can expect come from Davis's post fight interview with Ariel Helwani.  In all sports there are prospects a plenty and every week we are introduced to "the next big thing," but only a few actually realize their potential and become stars.  A lot of that is due to the athlete's personality and their approach to the game.  From everything I have seen of Phil he appears to have the right mindset and approach the sport.  A hard worker, who is honest about his abilities, and a big enough dork not to take things to seriously are good signs for his future.  In addition, he is very critical of himself.  That desire for improvement will help fuel his progression.  If the UFC continues to slowly develop Davis we will see a prospect turn into a star and a potential future champion.

P.S. Phil Davis landing a spinning back kick in the UFC might be the day I throw in the towel and stop watching the sport.  There simply could not be a higher pinnacle in MMA.