Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Phil Davis will be looking for the biggest win of his UFC career this Saturday when he meets Rashad Evans at UFC on Fox 2. There has been the expected amount of trash talk for a fight involving Rashad Evans but both men seem aware of the danger the other possesses.
Brian Hemminger of MMA Mania was able to catch up with Davis and talk about the Rashad fight (among other topics) and got a feel for some of the things Davis expects from Evans:
Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): People say that Rashad has the wrestling credentials, but that's not true. He was 48-34 in college, but while he wasn't as successful wrestling in college, he has been really good at adapting his wrestling to MMA. Is there anything that he does with his wrestling in MMA that you would like to do better?
Phil Davis: He does a lot of things good. He's high percentage on taking people down and that's good. When I look at his wrestling game in MMA, it's nothing really to critique. A lot of times he just stands and explodes to a takedown. He does a good job with it.
Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): He kind of has this explosive-power style of wrestling and I was talking to King Mo before his Strikeforce fight and he said that you're more like a black Ben Askren where you're more finesse. What do you think is a better style for transitioning to MMA, having the power style or the finesse style?
Phil Davis: Power will come, but if you don't have proper technique, not even proper technique but if you don't have, I've heard that before, I'm more finesse than power. I don't know, it's all about high percentage moves and that's just me. I'm kind of "by the numbers" when I teach things, when I learn things, that's just the way I am. I'd say probably finesse versus power. It's funny though that you say King Mo said I'm the black Ben Askren. You tell him he's the black Cael Sanderson. (laughs)
0 recs | 60 comments
Umm....
Sorry! There is no black, brown, green or purple Cael Sanderson … Cael is the best wrestler the US has ever produced…. He is arguably the most dominate athlete too…
That is all… Carry on.
DeepStrike - January 24, 2012
“dominant”
CstBoog - January 24, 2012 via mobile
John Smith is the greatest wrestler the US has ever produced
This is inarguable when looking at world championship/olympic results.
Bruce Baumgardner is a close second.
Then there is a third tier with Kenny Mondays, Schultz brothers and so on.
Below them is Cael who has a single Olympic championship and a world silver and was tied for fifth at Worlds this year.
Jordan Burrough’s world championship is a higher achievement than Cael’s Olympic gold as he actually had to go through a bonafide russian superstar.
Cael is the best folkstyle wrestler ever produced, not the best wrestler.
Mike Riordan - January 24, 2012
Dan Gable brought wrestling back into the major media spotlight with his Olympic win.
KJ Gould - January 24, 2012
He sure did, Gable is in the second tier of all time greats
He was also a world champ and won the Tblisi tournament which many consider to be the toughest tournament in the world of that day, tougher than the Olympics, a tournament which almost no Americans ever won.
Mike Riordan - January 24, 2012
What about Lee Kemp?
jhf884 - January 24, 2012
Yeesh
Ramble on, young man.
(Great Led Zep song)
Cory Braiterman - January 24, 2012
Seriously.....
….I read that thing 3 times and thought I had a stroke. WTF?!!
frameslyder1 - January 24, 2012
Has Phil been training with the Diaz brothers?
BKdroid - January 24, 2012
Nope
Just Tito.
TorQus - January 24, 2012 via mobile
rec'd for led zep
vivero - January 24, 2012
I'm taking Phil for the upset.
based on the theory that the universe will never give Rashad another title shot.
some schmuck in texas - January 24, 2012
If I were a wrestler and someone called me the _____ Ben Askren, I'd say thank you
If I were an MMA fighter and someone called me the _ Ben Askren, I’d tell them to go play in traffic.
menckenstein - January 24, 2012
I am so sick of reading Jon Jones babbling, nonsense interviews. Quit talking just to hear yourself speak. Jeez
Earl Montclair - January 24, 2012
<<Confused puppy face
One ear up, one down, head cocked to the side.
DankNabbot - January 24, 2012
People mistake Davis for Jon Jones all the time.
His trainers made a drinking game out of it, etc.
POW - January 24, 2012
Dude that's not Jones...
How can you not recognize Ben Askren?!
menckenstein - January 24, 2012
its that age old stereotype that all wrestlers look alike I guess
Earl Montclair - January 24, 2012
even more so when they’re so explosive and athletic.
Victor Rodriguez - January 24, 2012
My sig says it all...
dajulzta - January 24, 2012 via Android app
Been waiting for that,
Haven’t ya?
ThatsHowIRoll - January 24, 2012
Meh
It was more of a case of everything lining up. I just liked the quote, really.
dajulzta - January 24, 2012 via Android app
From what we’ve seen in MMA, I’d say the “power style” wrestling is far better for MMA than the “finesse style.”
Machiel Van - January 24, 2012
Well the problem comes when these finesse guys get from A to Y and can't execute Z (a submission) because they're so afraid of losing position they won't even attempt it
Davis doesn’t really have that problem but he’s the exception that proves the rule or whatever. That being said I’d rather be humped for 15 minutes by some finesse style guy than Karelin’d all over the octagon until my arm snapped from trying to break my fall.
menckenstein - January 24, 2012
I agree, contingent upon what the guy is whispering in my ear during the middle school date night humpfest
some schmuck in texas - January 24, 2012
Who cares as long as he smells nice?
menckenstein - January 24, 2012
So that's where I've been going all wrong!
NickRingp4pGOAT - January 24, 2012
Davis has actually sub people in the UFC, unlike **black belt** Rashad.
But Rashad will win by TKO, ground and pound 2nd round.
malo - January 24, 2012 via mobile
Power style would be what,
Hughes, Lesnar, Sherk, Coleman?
Finesse would be Randy, Lindland, Fitch, Askren, Shields?
I’m not a wrestler so let me know if that list is off base. Maybe a slight edge to the power guys, but I think it is almost a toss-up at this point. And I suspect the finesse style will play better down the line, once wrestlers stop having such an edge in athleticism over everyone else.
jhf884 - January 24, 2012
It helps to have seen them in a pure wrestling situation
Sherk and Shields weren’t prominent wrestlers on the NCAA level so it is hard very few have seen them in an actual wrestling match.
Being able to characterize wrestlers as simply power and finesse is a bit too reductive.
There certainly are pure power wrestlers, Coleman and Lesnar would count.
Askren has a style completely his own and many of these other “non-power” wrestlers were as different from one another as different could be.
Mike Riordan - January 24, 2012
It's weird when you're talking about MMA wrestling
Lesnar for example is a an accomplished collegiate wrestler, but it terms of MMA wrestling he is far inferior in almost every way to someone like GSP. GSP can chain his takedowns beautifully, while Brock only really had a power double leg to fall back on.
I don’t believe there is a single UFC champion who competed in NCAA wrestling.
discoandherpes - January 24, 2012
Frankie Edgar
Horselover Fat - January 24, 2012
Yup
Clarion University
Andy Anderson - January 24, 2012
Sounds right,
the finesse guys are fairly disparate, Askren is obviously different from a greco-style guy like Cotoure.
I include Hughes and Sherk b/c both were known for “power” moves (in MMA anyway) like the double leg, or slamming guys.
I just don’t think that Wrestlers’ current edge in athleticism will hold (at least, it will be lessened), so guys who rely on just blasting their opponents will suffer as their opponents get more and more athletic. An example might be Jose Aldo vs. Mendes, Jose was the athletic peer, if not superior, of Mendes, and it really effed w/ Mendes that he couldn’t get the takedown.
But I’m not a wrestler like I said…
jhf884 - January 24, 2012
Rashad's College Record
Brian Hemminger is obviously doesn’t do any sort of research b/c he neglected to include Rashad’s JUCO wrestling record into his overall record and into his overall wrestling credentials… For his information and also for all reading this article… Rashad placed 4th and 1st respectively at the Junior College Nationals his freshmen and sophmore years respectively for Niagara County Community College before transferring to Michigan State…and though I don’t have his specific record in front of me i remember is being something like 70-12 for those two years…. which would bring his collegiate record to around 118-46.. Also note Rashad’s senior year he knocked off defending national champion Greg Jones from West Virginia and lost in the All-American round…
Rob Higgins - January 24, 2012
LOL
Saying Hemminger doesn’t do any kind of research is hilarious. He mentioned his D-1 record. That’s all. Lots of guys have awesome Juco records.
Tim Burke - January 24, 2012
I don't really get what you're going for here
Hemminger creates a distorted impression of Rashad’s lack of wrestling pedigree through omitting relevant information.
Drunken cutman - January 24, 2012
It’s in comparison to Phil’s creds. Hemminger is correct in that regard.
Tim Burke - January 24, 2012
We appear to be discussing different things
Never mind.
Drunken cutman - January 24, 2012
dude has three comments total
and judging from the way he talks down to people, he won’t be around he for long. Don’t sweat him.
Brian Hemminger - January 24, 2012
Rashad is a great fighter
It’ll be too late for Phil to realize that.
This fight will pretty much decide if anyone stands any chance against King Jones.
Unfortunately, I dont see anyone beating Jones, he chews wrestlers for breakfast.
The takedown won’t land with Jones.
elmojo - January 24, 2012
A response to TB Money
You discrediting Rashad’s wrestling pedigree and discrediting JUCO wrestling just proves your a complete idiot obviously you never wrestled at a collegiate level like I have… JUCO wrestling is no joke… Typically top level JUCO guys are D1 level wrestlers who can’t pass the NCAA clearinghouse, foreign born wrestler from eastern europe and asia who are transitioning into from freestyle to folkstyle wrestling, or under the radar guys… No one ever questions Jon Jones wrestling pedigree but just like Rashad he’s a JUCO guy… who unlike Rashad was unable to finish his education due to a sexual assualt charge following his freshman year at Iowa Central Community College…Yes Phil Davis wrestling resume looks more impressive but wait until saturday and see if that even makes a difference Rashad has become a more multi-dimensional fighter and I can almost guarantee that he’s gonna knock Phil Davis out!!!
Rob Higgins - January 24, 2012
Jon Jones
You probably won’t see him at 205lbs much longer just b/c he growing… Look no further than his brothers Arthur Jones (Baltimore Ravens) and Vertus Jones (projected 1st or 2nd round NFL prospect) for the size that Jon will likely get to!!!
Rob Higgins - January 24, 2012
Chandler Jones is his other brother. Vertus Jones was a wrestler, the brother of famed Greg Jones, both at West Virginia.
Hardcharger - January 24, 2012 via mobile
.
Who Rashad knocked out of the 2003 NCAA tournament.
Zodi51 - January 24, 2012
I doubt he's doing the workouts his brothers have been doing for football
He’s gonna be at 205 for as long as he wants imo.
The Lethal Haze - January 24, 2012
I agree
He was 218 for Machida. Hiis height gives a false sense of his size. He has incredibly thin legs.
Genki Sudo's Choreographer - January 24, 2012
It's unlikely, but I REALLY REALLY hope Evans loses here
Because he absolutely refused to take a fight after beating Rampage….so f’ck that, I hope he loses and breaks both of his hands in the process.
Chris Groves - January 24, 2012
I'm torn
i want davis to beat evans but hed get smashed by jones
i want to see the jones-evans fight and see one of them get wrecked
Cunny - January 24, 2012
This is such a confusing sentence
Un Sandpiper - January 24, 2012
Apparently someone else already pointed this out.
I should probably read the comments before commenting myself
Un Sandpiper - January 24, 2012
yeah, he kind of had a change in thought mid-point
Brian Hemminger - January 24, 2012
Yeah, that's what I thought too
Either way, it’s still funny in writing and confusing too.
Un Sandpiper - January 24, 2012
Rashad's wrestling
From what I have seen of Rashad irregardless of collegiate wrestling pedigree, I think that Rashad is atleast top 3 when it comes to MMA wrestling, your all free to disagree.
SandboxKing - January 24, 2012
flagged for "irregardless"
some schmuck in texas - January 24, 2012
Grammer Police
Sorry I am new here, but I believe I used it correctly as well as spelled it correctly, so I am curious whats the problem?
SandboxKing - January 24, 2012
its not a word
although the more and more people use it, the sooner it will become a legitimate word, and not fodder for the (RL and internet) grammar police.
Regardless is the word you were looking for.
The Lethal Haze - January 24, 2012
Thanks
I was curious myself so I looked it up and now I understand why I was pulled over by the GP, but hey, that’s the English language it’s radical. He could have gotten me for “your” and not you’re.
SandboxKing - January 24, 2012
just a pet peeve, really
I don’t think language should be preserved in amber or anything like that, but man that one makes me twitch.
some schmuck in texas - January 24, 2012
I agree
I don’t read too much into collegiate records. Lesnar and Munoz are highly decorated but have struggled to take guys down. GSP has no record to speak of and is arguably the best.
Genki Sudo's Choreographer - January 24, 2012
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