Mike Davis shows mettle in UFC debut

LAS VEGAS — Even though Mike Davis suffered the first loss of his fighting career on Tuesday night, he proved that he belongs on MMA’s biggest stage, plying his trade in the UFC.

Davis faced Sodiq Yusuff on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series and the two went toe-to-toe for 15 minutes before the judges awarded “Super” Sodiq (7-1) a unanimous decision. The loss is the first ever for Davis, who stands at 5-1 in pro MMA and 22-1 as an amateur and professional combined.

Yusuff’s gameplan was evident from the opening bell as he targeted the lead leg of Davis and peppered it with kicks throughout the fight.

“As soon as I got the fight announcement I watched tape on him. The first thing I picked out is that he stands very strong on that lead leg,” Yusuff said after the fight. “It paid off.”

The first round saw little by way of a feeling out period as the two fighters threw punches with bad intentions. Davis started strong, landing a big knee and some solid punches, but Yusuff got the better of one exchange, stunning Davis with a left hand. The Greene County native was quick to recover, though.

The second round seemed to go Davis’ way as he backed Yusuff up and landed combinations early on.

Yusuff, a Nigeria native, continued to work on Davis’ leg, landing kicks over the five minute round.

Davis capped the round off by feinting a takedown, coming up and landing a head kick in an impressive display of striking.

In the third round, Yusuff’s gameplan came to fruition as his leg kicks took a toll on Davis, who had to switch stances to a southpaw to avoid further damage to his left leg.

Both fighters left the Octagon in rough shape with Davis nursing his left leg and Yusuff barely being able to walk, stating that he badly hurt his leg int he first round. He would later be seen using crutches when he was awarded a UFC contract for his performance.

Despite the loss, Davis showed that he has the tools to compete against the top fighters in the featherweight and lightweight divisions in any promotion, whether it is the UFC, Bellator or another top flight company.