For quite a whole lot of reasons, the upcoming UFC 118 event is quickly becoming the can’t-miss event of the latter half of 2010. Whether it’s James Toney vs. Randy Couture, Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn, or even Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard, UFC 118 sounds like a dream-card on paper. However, there’s one UFC 118 fight that I’ve seen a definitive lack of coverage on, and for the life of me, I can’t tell why. It’s virtually vanished from the popular press, but I’m really looking forward to the match-up between Marcus Davis and Nate Diaz.
The main reason I’m looking forward to this fight is because both men’s styles match up so well with each other. Even though a majority of his wins have come via submission, Nate Diaz loves to strike. Marcus Davis needs no introduction as a striker; he’s competed in some awesome all-out striking wars and has displayed a resiliency that sometimes seems superhuman.
The key difference between the two is their unique punching styles. Davis was a professional boxer for seven years, and that mentality hasn’t died yet, but rather evolved. Through trial and error, the more-traditional striking of Marcus Davis has bridged the gap between boxing and MMA and given “The Irish Hand Grenade” seventeen wins in a seven-year career. Nate’s style is vastly different and far trickier than that of Davis. Like his slightly-more-famous brother Nick, Nate has adopted the “punches in bunches” style of peppering shots that are designed to do cumulative damage rather than definitively KO an opponent.
It’s true that Diaz is 2-3 in his last five fights while Davis is 3-2, but also like big-brother Nick, I think the smaller Diaz brother is finally beginning to realize his potential. Still, Davis poses a big threat to Nate, since Davis has always been a rather large Welterweight while Nate Diaz just got done with a stint at Lightweight. If the weight advantage isn’t enough, I’ll be frank and admit that Davis has more power in his punches. Remember, the reason both Nick and Nate adopted the “punches in bunches” style to begin with was because of their inability to one-hit KO their opponents. Then again, Nate Diaz has never been knocked out before, while the iron chin of Davis finally cracked against an explosive knee courtesy of former UFC fighter Ben Saunders. Davis may have more pure power, but Diaz is super-tough and has very long arms, so his peppering shots may find home so often that they’ll wear out Davis enough to diminish his fierce punching power. Or Davis could go for broke like he almost always does and become only the second man to ever legitimately (T)KO a Diaz brother.
The one area of expertise that Diaz clearly has over Davis is the ground game. The younger Diaz has become known as a submission specialist, and for his near-inescapable modified Guillotine Choke in particular. More often than not, fighters faced with the realization that Diaz is getting the better of them at the striking game attempt to take him down, only to end up getting submitted. Diaz’s style of punching is very frustrating, and I think it’s quite possible that Davis will lose his head and attempt to go for broke if Diaz begins to pick him apart, which will lead to Diaz either taking Marcus down or being taken down himself, but getting the submission either way.
But no matter what happens, this should be an excellent match. Could it steal the show against bouts like Edgar/Penn 2 or Toney/Couture? Maybe not when you consider how much hype is surrounding those two fights, but trust me, Diaz vs. Davis has “sleeper hit” written all over it. It’s a shame these two haven’t seen their time in the spotlight nearly enough as Couture, Toney, Penn, or Edgar. It may not put either man “in the mix” but sometimes you have to appreciate a fun fight just because it’s a fun fight. And this one is going to be a whole lot of fun.
But what do you think, fans and friends? What’s your opinion on Nate Diaz vs. Marcus Davis?
Nate Diaz and Marcus Davis Top UFC 118 Medical Suspensions
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Is it just me or does the picture look like a after and before bowflex Ad?
Dan Hardy had the ability to pick Marcus Davis apart, but then again he is also considered a big welterweight – not to mention Hardy has an extremely crisp and accurrate striking game. I think Diaz is going to come in with some good leg kicks that are going to ruin Davis’ chance of landing that big shot.
I think it’s a matter of style. Davis still has that traditional boxing mentality, he’s always moving forward. Diaz’s style is more likely to pick an opponent apart, the style of Davis is better-suited to simply getting the better of you in the striking.
When I said that Diaz would “pick Marcus apart”, I was referring to the possibility that Diaz would pick and choose all of his shots, land a bunch of peppering shots, and frustrate Davis enough that Davis loses his cool and does something that Diaz is able to capitalize on and get a stoppage from.
I think that Marcus Davis will win by KO or TKO. There is no way possible that a striker like Diaz has the ability to “pick marcus apart” like you put it. If anything Marcus will start to pick him apart if he hasn’t already knocked him out and Diaz will start looking to go to the ground, and in that case Marcus should be focused on getting to his feat ASAP, but I see Davis as the winner of this fight.