The Doggy Bag: Deluxe Edition
The Doggy Bag
Jordan Breen, Jason Probst and Greg Savage take your questions in
this week’s deluxe edition of The Doggy Bag.
Topics include Frank Mir’s added bulk and whether it’s good for him, Phil Davis’ future, Dynamite’s Dec. 31 lineup, Junior dos Santos’ UFC standing and more.
Send questions to mailbag@sherdog.com. Your e-mail could appear in the next edition of The Doggy Bag.
I saw that the UFC signed Phil Davis. I know little about him besides that he is a Division 1 national champ and is 4-0 in mma. Is he a legit prospect as in potential top 5 or 10? Is his future at heavyweight or light heavyweight? -- Mike Helmer
Jordan Breen, FightFinder Czar: I do think Davis is a potential top 10 light heavyweight. He's got a bit more experience than his record indicates, as he had four fairly challenge-free amateur bouts. He's definitely a 205'er; he actually wrestled at 197 at Penn State and though he's a specimen, he is not physically enormous.
However, I am of mixed feelings about Zuffa nabbing Phil Davis. Of course, this behavior always makes sense for Zuffa: it is worth the chance to sign young prospects early, and hope they can rapidly roll up the learning curve, because it means they get first dibs and no one else can have them. However, unless Zuffa treats Davis truly as a prospect, with a steady diet of early stylistic challenges, I'm not sure we'll get the maximum out of "Mr. Wonderful."
Davis is very much the sort of fighter who needs time to blossom because despite the fact that he will inevitably be compared to Jon Jones or Mo Lawal (because clearly, every black prospect is inherently similar), he is not an explosive offensive fighter. He's athletically gifted to be sure, but his best strengths are his powerful base and great positional instincts. Davis doesn't appear to be the sort of fighter who is going to blow opponents out of the box, especially at the elite level. He's the sort of fighter who would benefit enormously from having more time to work on his boxing technique and diligently drill his submission game to really complement the great natural reflexes and wrestling he already has.
He's already good enough to deal with the bottom dwellers of the UFC 205-pound division. However, the deck is always stacked against any fighter from making monumental gains in skill from fight-to-fight, so if he is moved quickly along in the division similar to a Jon Jones, you may see some growing pains. Fortunately, Davis already went from a light-recruited high school wrestler to a four-time All-American and national champion at Penn State, so adversity is something he's already acquainted with.
Topics include Frank Mir’s added bulk and whether it’s good for him, Phil Davis’ future, Dynamite’s Dec. 31 lineup, Junior dos Santos’ UFC standing and more.
Send questions to mailbag@sherdog.com. Your e-mail could appear in the next edition of The Doggy Bag.
I saw that the UFC signed Phil Davis. I know little about him besides that he is a Division 1 national champ and is 4-0 in mma. Is he a legit prospect as in potential top 5 or 10? Is his future at heavyweight or light heavyweight? -- Mike Helmer
Jordan Breen, FightFinder Czar: I do think Davis is a potential top 10 light heavyweight. He's got a bit more experience than his record indicates, as he had four fairly challenge-free amateur bouts. He's definitely a 205'er; he actually wrestled at 197 at Penn State and though he's a specimen, he is not physically enormous.
However, I am of mixed feelings about Zuffa nabbing Phil Davis. Of course, this behavior always makes sense for Zuffa: it is worth the chance to sign young prospects early, and hope they can rapidly roll up the learning curve, because it means they get first dibs and no one else can have them. However, unless Zuffa treats Davis truly as a prospect, with a steady diet of early stylistic challenges, I'm not sure we'll get the maximum out of "Mr. Wonderful."
Davis is very much the sort of fighter who needs time to blossom because despite the fact that he will inevitably be compared to Jon Jones or Mo Lawal (because clearly, every black prospect is inherently similar), he is not an explosive offensive fighter. He's athletically gifted to be sure, but his best strengths are his powerful base and great positional instincts. Davis doesn't appear to be the sort of fighter who is going to blow opponents out of the box, especially at the elite level. He's the sort of fighter who would benefit enormously from having more time to work on his boxing technique and diligently drill his submission game to really complement the great natural reflexes and wrestling he already has.
He's already good enough to deal with the bottom dwellers of the UFC 205-pound division. However, the deck is always stacked against any fighter from making monumental gains in skill from fight-to-fight, so if he is moved quickly along in the division similar to a Jon Jones, you may see some growing pains. Fortunately, Davis already went from a light-recruited high school wrestler to a four-time All-American and national champion at Penn State, so adversity is something he's already acquainted with.
