Mike Davis will be making his promotional debut on short notice at UFC Fort Lauderdale against Gilbert Burns, so here’s what you need to know.
The UFC is coming to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in the BB&T Center on April 27. The card is headlined by a short-notice fight between Jack Hermansson and Jacare Souza. UFC Fort Lauderdale features many up-and-coming talents, returning fighters, and a few debuts. In a lightweight bout, Gilbert Burns was originally supposed to take on Eric Wisely. Wisely had to pull out of the bout as he was not medically cleared. The show must go on so the UFC signed Mike Davis.
Get to Know Mike Davis:
Mike Davis was born in South Cairo, New York, and is now living in Orlando, Florida. Davis appeared on the Contender Series last summer but would fall short to Sodiq Yussuf. To the credit of Davis, Yusuff is a great fighter and the fight between the two was arguably the best of the season. Since then, he has gotten back on the board with two wins. He has a purple belt in BJJ, state wrestler, has an undefeated record in Muay Thai and boxing, and was 10-0 as an amateur in MMA.
How Does Mike Davis Fare in the UFC:
Davis is a great talent that has yet to be truly tested against good competition, but he has done what was expected and ran through the six opponents he beat. Davis is an excellent boxer with the way he uses the jab, attacks the body, along with some fantastic head movement. He has striking that will give many guys problems, but his wrestling is just as dangerous. Closing the distance and getting the double leg is utilized well by Davis, and his transitions and fight stopping ground-and-pound are both effortless and devastating. He hasn’t really shown much of his grappling but has it in his back pocket if needed, proven by the kimura finish in his latest fight. The fighters Davis has beat had a combined record of 21-14 so the level of competition hasn’t been good. Again, his one loss was to Sodiq Yusuff, who has been tearing it up in the UFC. Davis clearly lost to Yusuff but he held his own and proved he belonged fighting along with top fighters. I still think we haven’t seen much from Davis so the best is yet to come. As far as weaknesses go, he’s hittable. And that’s not saying he has bad defense, but at times he will take one to give one. Overall, at only 26, he has a high ceiling. “Beast Boy” was also the Island Fights lightweight champ at pro.
How Mike Davis Matches Up with Gilbert Burns:
Burns is a horrible matchup for anyone to make their debut against. Burns has come a long way as he came into the UFC solely a grappler. His striking through has improved as he’s put guys in danger with the raw power in his hands. I think he has more power than Davis, but that’s all on the feet. Davis is much more technical and has more weapons on the feet. Davis also has a solid chin where Burns has been rocked throughout his career. Burns has been rocked in the past by guys like Dan Moret and Łukasz Sajewski so that is a big concern. Burns will need to take this to the mat where he will have a big advantage. Davis is still unproven for the most part on the mat but there’s no way he could hang with a guy like Burns there. I like Davis but he’s taking a massive step-up in competition.
