Marcus Davis Interview

Top Ten Welterweight Marcus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis recently chatted with Ben Zeidler about his big winning streak, his upcoming fight with Jess Liaudin, and taking on Georges St. Pierre down the road. Originally conducted for MMA Madness

Ben Zeidler: Tell us about working with Tim Sylvia at the bar and how that led you to a career in MMA.

Marcus Davis: Yeah, sure. It was 1995 and Tim and I were doormen together at a bar. I became the GM of the bar and so I had all the doormen going to a boxing and MMA school inside a Gold's Gym. I made it mandatory that the doormen go there to train. Tim was a real big guy, about 235 pounds and playing semi pro football, but he needed to learn how to throw some hands. So I started working with Tim and he said he wanted to try the Pancrase stuff. He did three or four of those, ended up meeting Pat Miletich, and that's how it all started.

Ben Zeidler: So where did you come into the mix?

Marcus Davis: Well after Tim left, I was still training boxing. I wanted to do some MMA stuff too so I went out, trained with Tim, met Miletich, and decided that I wanted to do this.

Ben Zeidler: The man who beat you during your time on TUF, Melvin Guillard, has been having some troubles in the Octagon lately. When we talked to him the other week, he admitted that you are a much better fighter now than when he beat you. He did say, however, that he would still have the advantage. How do you see that fight going now?

Marcus Davis: You know, just like Melvin thinks he would beat me, I think I would beat him I think that my mistake against Melvin and Stevenson was, well my mistakes were two things. One, I was a much more superior striker but they took me out of my game. I waited, circled, stayed away waiting to set things up. I didn't create anything. Since then, I haven't waited. I brought it to everyone I fought and I've beat ten guys in a row. And you know, I've become a much better all around fighter during this time. I've become a good grappler, a good wrestler, I'm decent at takedowns, takedown defense, and I'm just much more well rounded. I'm more well rounded than Melvin, too. Melvin has great, explosive wrestling but his technique is sloppy. He's got no submission game and I've submitted 9 guys in my career. I've only gone the distance on two fights that I've won, I've knocked out 7 and submitted 9. I've got a good game.

Ben Zeidler: Since that fight, you're on a winning streak of over two years. What do you attribute this success to?

Marcus Davis: It's a combination of things. My game is well rounded because I train with guys to work on my weaknesses. I worked with Jorge Gurgel for fighting on my back. I used to hate being on my back and now I'm submitting people from there. Mark Delagrotti has been working with me for a long time and getting me comfortable with knees, elbows, and kicks. I worked out just last night with Kenny and Keith Florian, two jiu-jitsu black belts. I'm just filling in all the holes in my game. I'm much more confident and I create openings instead of waiting. I bring to to people. That was my issue before, but it's not a problem now.

Ben Zeidler: You've got an upcoming fight with Jess Liaudin. How do you see yourself matching up with him?

Marcus Davis: I think I match up really well with him It's a tough fight, he's very dangerous and underrated. He's got a great grappling game, decent strikes, but he tries risky stuff. He likes the flying hooks and spinning backfists. I'm more technically sound and I'm faster. I think I'm stronger than him in a lot of areas. Everywhere I read, he's telling people that he's gonna stand with me, that he's gonna knock me out. I can tell you that even if he believes he's going to stand with me, once I touch him, he's gonna switch to wrestling. I knock people out with jabs, just ask Shonie Carter. He's gonna get hit once by me and go "wow, I can't believe he hits that hard." I'm training ground, I'm training stand up, so I don't know where it's going to finish but I think he's [Liaudin] right when he says it's gonna end in the first.

Ben Zeidler: Sounds like it's gonna be an exciting fight.

Marcus Davis: Oh yeah, it'll be a good one.

Ben Zeidler: Being undefeated in UFC competition, how many fights do you think it'll take before you earn title consideration?

Marcus Davis: I'm patient so I don't really care (laughs). I fight to fight. I'm 5 wins in a row, about to be 6, so if I get up to 25 wins, at some point, I'll get a title shot. If I don't get one during my career, I'm not gonna look back and say I should have had one. I'll just say "geez, I had a great time doing that." I won't have any regrets and I'm in no rush.

Ben Zeidler: Where do you rank yourself among the other Welterweights? It seems like you're starting to creep into the top ten in a lot of polls.

Marcus Davis: You know what, that's hard to say. I didn't think I was a top 10. I thought maybe top 15. There's guys in the top 10 who I think I could beat and there's guys in the top 10 whose styles would give me trouble. It's all about styles. I could beat certain guys in the top 10 but have trouble with guys ranked below me. I'm not too concerned with all that though. You know, if I were #2, there would be 10,000 guys saying I shouldn't be there.

Ben Zeidler: Tell us a little bit about your big win against Paul Taylor. Did you expect to win by submission or was that a surprise?

Marcus Davis: No, I thought I would catch him with my hands standing up or if we hit the ground, I knew I would be able to submit him I'm a much better grappler than the guys he's fought and the guys he trains with. All the UK grapplers are way behind the ones in the United States. It's like going to Japan and they're still wearing Wrangler Jeans and listening to disco. That's where they are when it comes to the ground game.

Ben Zeidler: What'd you think of the GSP-Hughes fight? Did you go?

Marcus Davis: I didn't go. After training that day, I watched it with my manager. Man, he is scary. Just...I don't even know...un-friggin-believeable.

Ben Zeidler: So, how many years before you're ready to fight GSP?

Marcus Davis: (Laughs) You know, people ask me all the time, what if they told you that you had to fight GSP. I always say the same thing. I'd show up and fight him. GSP's wrestling is light years ahead of mine. Like I'm in Kindergarten and he's a professor at a college. He's a better kicker...a better everything. But he got caught by Matt Serra and I hit harder than him. I hit harder than anyone in the sport, I would say. Mark and I train and he wears mitts and he still says it hurts and he needs to take a break. If he made the mistake of weaving when he bobbed, he'd need help tying his shoes for two weeks. In this sport, it's whoever wants it more and who makes the right decisions.

Ben Zeidler: Any sponsors you'd like to thank? Websites you want to plug?

Marcus Davis: Irishhandgrenade.com and full contact fighter. Joe, with full contact, has been with me the whole time and I'm staying with them. I've had big offers from other companies, but my loyalty is with them.

Ben Zeidler: Anything to say to your fans?

Marcus Davis: Hey, you know what, I appreciate the support coming from the show like I did and doing a sucky sucky job. And now I have fans and having people supporting me in America and the UK has been great.

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Frank Edgar Interview

Ben Zeidler recently caught up with Frank Edgar to discuss his undefeated career, Sean Sherk’s steroid complication, and his next fight. Originally conducted for MMA Madness

Ben Zeidler: I noticed that you're from Toms River. Can you tell us a little bit about that and how you got into MMA while living in Jersey?

Frank Edgar: I pretty much lived here my whole life. I started fighting out of college in May of 2005. I found a good gym which had just been taken over by Kurt Pellegrino. I ended up with them and I've been there ever since.

BZ: So I guess you were too young for those great little league teams of the 90s?

FE: Yeah, I know a couple of kids on the teams. One of them just got drafted.

BZ: Ah, who was that?

FE: His name's Todd Frazier.

BZ: Did you play little league?

FE: (Laughs) Yeah, I played a few years. I think everyone plays little league growing up.

BZ: In your UFC debut, Tyson Griffin locked you into a pretty deep knee bar. How did you manage to fight through this and not tap out?

FE: You know, I just bit down on my mouth piece and toughed it out. That was it.

BZ: Tell us a little bit about the Spencer Fisher win. I'm assuming that went like you wanted it to.

FE: Yeah, the Spencer Fisher fight went pretty good. The game plan going in was to put him on his back. I knew I could stand with him if I had to. So I got into the first round and I didn't know I could fight like that, so I just kept doing what was working.

BZ: With a recent win over Spencer Fisher, who would you like to fight next?

FE: They kinda just tell me who I'm going to fight next. I just want it to be a step up the ladder and towards the belt.

BZ: Do feel like you get better with each fight or are you relatively stable in what you learn and pick up?

FE: I'm not even near my full ability. I'm about two and a half years in so I have a long way to go. I went back and watched my first UFC fight and I'm a lot better since then.

BZ: Your next fight hasn't been announced yet, but assuming you still train pretty hard. What do you do to stay in shape?

FE: Training for a fight is a little different than general training. I'm an assistant coach for wrestling at Rutgers [University] so I'll hit up that practice. There's some boxing and jiu-jitsu places around so I'll hit up their practices too.

BZ: Being undefeated in your MMA career, how many more wins do you think you have to get before you earn some title consideration.

FE: You know, I don't pay attention to too much of that, but I'd imagine that three or four more wins would do it. It depends on who I fight, obviously, but I imagine that would do it.

BZ: Where would you rank yourself among the 155s?

FE: I don't really know. I don't want to give myself a number because I know I can compete with anyone in the division.

BZ: What do you think about Sean Sherk testing positive for steroids?

FE: Yeah, you know he's adamant saying that he didn't do it so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. You know, it's no sweat off my back. He'll be back in a few months and he'll be right back in it. He won't have missed a beat.

BZ: Can you give us a prediction for the BJ Penn-Joe Stevenson fight?

FE: Sure. I think that if Penn comes into shape, he's on another level than anyone in the division so I'd give him the advantage. I think if Joe can take the fight into the later rounds, then that's his best bet to win.

BZ: Any sponsors you'd like to thank?

FE: Yeah mmainstructional.com and frankedgar.com.

BZ: Anything to say to the fans?

FE: Yeah, I just want to say thanks for the support and continue to keep watching. Hopefully, I'll keep entertaining.

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UFN 12 Quick Results

Newly-Middleweighted Mike Swick scrapped his way to a close decision against the dangerous Josh Burkman while Patrick Cote put a hurting on Drew McFedries.

Mike Swick vs. Josh Burkman (Swick by Unanimous Decision)

Patrick Cote vs. Drew McFedries (Cote by 1st round TKO)

Alvin Robinson vs. Nate Diaz (Diaz by 1st round Submission)

Michihiro Omigawa vs. Thiago Tavares (Tavares by Unanimous Decision)

Alberto Crane vs. Kurt Pellegrino (Pellegrino by 2nd round TKO)

Dennis Siver vs. Gray Maynard (Maynard by Unanimous Decision)

Jeremy Stephens vs. Cole Miller (Stephens by 2nd round TKO)

Joe Veres vs. Corey Hill (Hill by 2nd round TKO)

Justin Buchholz vs. Matt Wiman (Wiman by 1st round Submission)

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Swick hopes to make “Quick” work of Burkman

Welterweights Mike Swick and Josh Burkman will be doing anything but lounging at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas on Wednesday night. The two headline UFC Fight Night 12 and look to make a definitive statement live on national television. When The Ultimate Fighter alumni enter the Octagon, can Swick’s fast hands and submission prowess translate to his new division after a long lay off? Or will Burkman’s wrestling-centric game put him out of commission?

By Danny Acosta

170lbs. is a new frontier for Mike Swick. The Texas-born fighter began his career at his natural weight of 185lbs. before moving to 205lbs to star in season one of The Ultimate Fighter. Time in the UFC allowed for the California-based fighter to return to his natural weight, but a hard fought decision loss against massive middleweight Yushin Okami forced “Quick” to buy sauna gear and enter the fray of the UFC’s most challenger-laden division.

The drop to welterweight is not of Gleison Tibau proportions. It allows Swick to be a well-sized fighter in the weight class. With “Crazy” Bob Cook in Swick’s corner, the weight cut should not deplete his cardio, speed, and strength. However, Burkman’s wrestling base proves to be a direct challenge to those three elements of the game. Takedown after takedown can neutralize the American Kickbox Academy’s speed and push his cardio into uncomfortable territory. “The People’s Warrior” is one of the division’s larger fighters—strength is his weapon.

The Utahan has demonstrated improved stand-up in his recent outings, but still needs to bring the fight to the mat to avoid Swick’s fast hands that will most likely still be loaded in his welterweight debut. A ground fight tests Swick’s submission game, which proved to be slow on the draw against Yushin Okami. The Japanese fighter is not as aggressive as the former Team Quest fighter yet he still managed to deliver vicious ground and pound that could have stopped the fight justifiably. Burkman must work on the ground, preferably against the cage, to frustrate Swick. Again, size can be Swick’s downfall as Burkman is athletic as well.

However, Burkman has a tendency to slow down in the later stanzas of the fight, while Swick has stellar cardio and strong takedown defense. Stuffed takedowns can diminish Burkman’s cardio early in the fight. Swick’s explosive stand-up typically lacks knees in his combinations. Working to the body damaged Burkman in his split decision win over Forrest Petz. If Swick retains his aggression, elusive footwork, and mixes up his strikes—including knees and body punches— against a fighter that struggled to solve the puzzle of Karo Parisyan’s winging punches, a successful arrival to 170lbs. is likely.

The featured fight of the night is a lightweight clash between Thiago Tavares and Michihiro Omigawa. Tavares is a Murilo Bustamante disciple with a powerful, technical, tireless ground attack and crisp Muay Thai to match. A tightrope loss in his last fight to Tyson Griffin will see the Brazilian eager to finish against the Yoshido Dojo fighter. Omigawa fails to arrive at the high-end of competition. His judo is enough to bring Tavares to the ground, but not much else. Look for Tavares to pick up his third UFC win.

Middleweights Patrick Cote and Drew McFedries are going to unleash their hellacious fists on each other. The French-Canadian is past his pitter-patting in the Octagon after picking up wins that eluded him inside the walls of the Octagon, including a stunning knockout over over-sized 185-pounder Kendall Grove. His Team Sitydotong muay Thai is the right combination for his devastating hands. Expect the former TKO champion to fight from a distance and employ superior technique. However, McFedries is not the type of fighter to allow his opponents breathing room. He can handle technical strikers ala Martin Kampmann and has the dynamite to find the mark on Cote’s yet-to-be-conquered chin.

Mixing in takedowns and challenging the Miletich fighter on the ground is Cote’s best bet. He is scared of no one, but he is also a smart fighter. McFedries has proved dangerous standing and docile on the ground. Cote can match strikes, especially since McFedries has displayed his chin is not unflappable. A slugfest only favors McFedries—a fight, Cote.

The recent murder of Agnes McFedries-Kennedy is the deciding factor in this fight: can Drew McFedries rise up over tragedy or is the trauma—three weeks removed—too heavy? With Cote’s mind finally aligning with his talent, there is no room for McFedries to waver. Win or lose, McFedries showcases his warrior spirit for stepping into the Octagon.

The opening bout of the night is another lightweight clash between Nate Diaz and Alvin Robinson. The Ultimate Fighter 5 winner has excellent Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills under Cesar Gracie. The lanky fighter dominated the reality show before winning the finals due to a Manny Gamburyan injury. Submitting Junior Assuncao pits him against bulky wrestler Robinson, who holds a brown belt under UFC legend Royce Gracie.

“The Kid” struggled against Jorge Gurgel, being mounted at will. However, Diaz plays from his back. His wiry frame proves to be an advantage on the ground, but Robinson’s size poses new problems. Fortunately for Diaz, Robinson fails to utilize the cage effectively, so Diaz’s technical no-gi can lure Robinson into submission chains. In addition, Nate Diaz avoids punishment on the ground much like his older brother Nick Diaz. This is key against Robinson’s persistent punches.

The fight tips in favor of the Stockton, CA native when it comes to will. No one has broke Nate Diaz's will in a fight. Diaz’s precise boxing can break Robinson, who lacks composure under fire and the ability to fight out of a storm as Kenny Florian exposed. If Diaz employs the right gameplan, his top-flight training with Jake Shields and Gilbert Melendez makes the difference in this fight. “Cooking” a strong wrestler and jiu-jitsu fighter who prefers top position is a step toward a decision loss—the only way Robinson walks away with a victory.

UFC Fight Night 12 spotlights young talent across the gamut. For Mike Swick and Josh Burkman, a win over such stellar opposition makes a strong case for elevating their contender status. Since it is Swick’s 170lbs. debut and he is coming off a loss, a win is invaluable. For Burkman, it would be the biggest win of his career as he drops his high-profile fights. These headliners hope to be quick in victory although it’s going to be difficult to make the other dead.

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