Marcus Davis's Blogs
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SDS: Rebney, Davis
By: TJ De Santis
"The Savage Dog Show" returned to The Sherdog Radio Network Wednesday for a two hour tour. Joining Greg Savage and Jeff Sherwood was former UFC fighter Marcus Davis and Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney.
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Bellator boss Bjorn Rebney stopped by the SDS to talk all things Bellator Fighting Championship. Including their ongoing middleweight and bantamweight tournaments, the promotions relationship with former UFC standout Roger Huerta, and non-title bouts. While Davis chatted with Greg and Jeff about his upcoming fight this weekend in Florida.
Check out the shows and our archives by clicking here. -
The Turning Point: Stephens vs. Davis
By: Chris Nelson
Ten minutes into his fight with Marcus Davis at UFC 125, things weren’t looking great for Jeremy Stephens.
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There was no doubt that he had lost the opening round. Davis started well, if cautiously, drifting just outside of Stephens’ range in the southpaw stance. As Davis bounced and circled, the newly-minted lightweight flicked his jab into Stephens’ face, using sharp angles and footwork to make the “Lil’ Heathen” airmail punches. When Stephens (Pictured) initiated a clinch against the fence and tried to drill knees inside, Davis reversed the position and tripped him to the mat. A late overhand left bounced off Stephens’ temple, putting him on rubbery legs and allowing Davis to control the final minute of action. -
UFC 125 Postmortem: No Answers for Edgar
By: Jake Rossen
Frankie Edgar | Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
Was it “Rocky V” where Sylvester Stallone numbly intoned that life isn’t about hitting, but about how hard you can get hit and keep getting up?
Maybe I’m thinking of “Cobra.” Or “F.I.S.T.” Honestly, when you’ve heard one speech from a guy who can only drink from one side of his mouth, you’ve heard them all. But that one rings true, and it could have easily described Saturday’s performance by Frankie Edgar, who survived one of the worst blitzes in UFC title fight history only to come back and put on a clear and focused performance for the next 20 minutes. It was like watching someone stumble away from a car wreck, take a minute break, and then finish the Sunday Times crossword puzzle.
Edgar should be happy about his comeback, but the announcement of a draw -- justified, in the opinion of many -- turned him sour. He shouldn’t be: his stock skyrocketed with the attrition and wrestling that had improved to the point he was able to take Gray Maynard down repeatedly and stuff incoming shots. (Not possible in their 2008 fight, which Maynard won.) Maynard is probably Edgar’s biggest headache at 155 pounds, and he was able to keep it competitive.
A rematch is inevitable. And while that first round will be remembered, it’ll do far less for Maynard’s confidence than it will for Edgar’s. Read more -
UFC 118 Postmortem: Lights Dim for Toney, Edgar Repeats, More
By: Jake Rossen
Randy Couture file photo: Sherdog.com
One way to get James Toney to stop talking: cutting off the blood supply to his brain.
Randy Couture performed a textbook arm-triangle choke against the veteran boxer and 0-0 fighter Saturday, fulfilling the expectations (and wishes) of most in the audience. The wrestler dropped Toney’s chances from about five percent down to zero by performing a low single ankle pick takedown, eliminating any possibility Toney could counter with a short strike. On the mat, Couture drowned him. Aside from the night he debuted against two grunting pituitary cases in 1997, it was far and away the least dangerous fight of the 47-year-old’s 13-year career. (Considering Couture’s willingness to fight a killer in virtually every one of his 22 prior UFC bouts, the break was well-deserved.)
By the time the fight adds up pay-per-view households, DVD sales and Spike reruns, it will become the most-watched boxer vs. wrestler mixed-style match in history. (Ali/Inoki, whatever its audience numbered, is a nothing: The wrestler couldn’t wrestle.) While predictable, the bout and its result exemplified the cultural shift in how our culture defines tough in combat sports. The Boston crowd was chanting “UFC” like the promotion was the home team and Toney was wearing a Yankees jersey; in less than four minutes, the boxer was splayed out on the mat, emasculated.
While many can appreciate the technique of controlled violence, prizefighting has always been about finding out who the toughest guy in the room is. Boxing, while a beautiful art to watch at its highest level, can’t wave that flag any longer. We didn’t need Couture/Toney to tell us that, but it’s the most visible evidence yet that MMA might be supplanting it sooner than expected.
Fair or not, Toney had a big “Boxer” banner on his chest this weekend. And for the first time in his 83-fight career, he got a good look at the ceiling at the same time his native sport got a good look at its future. Read more -
Franklin, Davis on ESPN’s MMA Live
By: Sherdog.com Staff
On this week’s MMA Live, Rich Franklin and Marcus Davis join the program to discuss their bouts from UFC 99 this past weekend.
In addition, newly-crowned Bellator Welterweight ace Lyman Good is in studio to talk about his big win.
A full breakdown of “The Ultimate Fighter Finale” and the Strikeforce Challengers card this weekend is included.
A new episode of "MMA Live" debuts every Thursday at 3 p.m. EST on ESPN.com's mixed martial arts page. Read more -
Davis Didn’t Stick to Plan, Wants Rematch
By: Greg Savage
Marcus Davis is still ticked off about the scoring of his UFC 99 match with Dan Hardy. I got a chance to talk to him on the phone Wednesday, and he is adamant the cut he sustained in the fight’s final round was the difference in the bout.
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Asked point blank whether he thought he won all three rounds, Davis stated that there could be an argument made for Hardy winning one round at the most.
That isn’t to say “The Irish Hand Grenade” doesn’t feel that he should shoulder some of the blame for his split-decision loss last Saturday night. -
Back Against the Mat: UFC 99 Edition
By: Jake Rossen
Stakes are always high in prizefights, but for some more than others.
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Wanderlei Silva: A fifth loss in six fights would bring talk of retirement -- already a low murmur -- to a chorus. He at least needs a competitive distance battle with Franklin to retain fan faith.
Cain Velasquez: Big paydays against big names -- Mir, Lesnar -- are right around the corner for Velasquez if he can get past Cheick Kongo. A collective deflation for his supporters and his next-big-thing status is queued up if he can’t.
