In this day and age, MMA fans are always looking for the next big thing.
Currently that title belongs to new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Jon Jones. Jones has been dominant throughout his UFC career, destroying all of his opponents on his way to the championship.
While Jones rise to the top has been nothing short of amazing, his jump up the UFC ladder has made it tough for other rising stars to make a big impression on fight fans.
Enter light heavyweight contender Phil Davis.
Davis spoke to MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani and talked about the criticism he has faced of his recent decision win over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira last month.
“You’ll have (criticism), no matter what you do, you’ll still have a little bit of that. It just comes with the territory of being in the UFC with other great talent where guys beat the crap out of guys. You’ve got your Rampage, your Shogun’s and Jon Jones and all these great guys that finish people and if you’re a really tough guy that can’t finish people then you seem like your less of a person, and for the most part, yeah. Those guys are up here and I’m not there yet. … The fact that I took the (Nogueira) fight on short notice against a guy who’s a really good boxer and was able to stay out of most of his dangerous strikes and do some effective striking of my own, that’s pretty good. He stopped some takedowns but wrestling is what I do and he couldn’t stop all of them. So it’s kind of like, who won and who lost? You know what I mean? I get confused like … what did you expect to happen?”
MMA lives on highlight-reel knockouts and submissions and everyone is always expecting something flashy. That is why Jones has become such a rising star. But, has the passion for finishes caused fans to under appreciate some of the world’s best fighters?
Davis is 5-0 in the UFC with two submission wins including an impressive kimura against Tim Boetsch at UFC 123.
Just because a fighter has a dominant wrestling base, doesn’t make them boring. I will even admit that I am a little biased toward finishes. It is the reason I have Anderson Silva as the pound-for-pound king over Georges St. Pierre.
But, GSP has still been dominant and his performances are like artwork. He takes minimal damage while inflicting a lot and controlling the fight from start to finish.
Even a guy like Jon Fitch, who has lost just one time in 15 UFC fights, is often disrespected by fans for his lack of finishing opponents. While his style is not flashy, he is clearly one of the best welterweights in the world.
The problem with fans lack of appreciation for wrestling-dominant fighters is that it will stunt the progression of some of those fighters. Davis is clearly a promising young start that may someday where UFC gold. But, if he is unable to handle fans’ criticism, he may lose touch with his fight style and get into a slugfest with a striker just to appease the fans. If he came out on the losing end of that slugfest, it could be a big setback to his career.
Davis needs to stick to his guns and continue to work toward becoming a better all-around fighter. As his striking develops and his jiu-jitsu continues to improve, he will get the finishes he and the fans are looking for.
And to the fans, try to understand the mindset of each fighter as each fight happens. I love seeing a brutal knockout as much as the next guy, but I also have a deep appreciation for someone being able to execute an intelligent game plan. MMA is about strategy, execution, and athleticism. It isn’t a bar brawl anymore.
