Davis’ Next Test Could Be Much Like The Last
3/24/2008
By Ben Fowlkes

For L.C. Davis, dealing with the first loss of his career was hard enough.  The fact that it came on live TV in a fight for the IFL featherweight title, that didn’t help.

“It bothered me for a little while,” Davis admits now.  “But I got back into training and tried to move past it.  I realized that I made some mistakes.  Every fighter makes mistakes.  You can’t dwell on it, you just have to move forward.”

Moving forward is exactly what Davis will try and do on April 4 at New Jersey ’s Izod Center , when he takes on American Top Team fighter Rafael Dias.  The only problem for him is that he’ll be taking on a fighter with many similarities to Fabiano, and he’ll have to avoid making the same mistakes.

One of those mistakes, according to Davis , was getting too caught up in the hype about Fabiano’s ground game. 

Since he knew that the submissions specialist was looking to get him to the mat, he based his chances for success on an ability to stay on his feet.  It made him too cautious, he says now, and it prevented him from taking the fight to his opponent, as he has done for most of his career.

“With the Wagnney fight I got so caught up in keeping it on the feet.  I was thinking so much about him that I didn’t fight my fight.  I’m a wrestler.  I take people down and ground and pound them.  That’s how I got where I am.”

American Top Team’s Dias is another Brazilian import with a top-notch submissions game, as he showed in his IFL debut last month with a first-round submission victory over Santino DeFranco. 

Dias put on a ground fighting clinic in that fight, much like Fabiano has done in the past.  His quick transitions and ability to dictate the pace and direction of the fight made him seem almost like a carbon copy of the featherweight champ.  The similarities between the two are not lost on Davis .

“He’s a lot like Wagnney.  He’s a black belt in jiu-jitsu.  I know he comes from a good camp in American Top Team.  It’s a similar fight, but I don’t think his wrestling or striking is as good as Wagnney’s. 

“I know he’s never been stopped.  All his losses come from decisions, so I’m guessing he’s pretty tough.  I think it’s going to be a war, and I’m training for that.”

For Davis , the importance of this fight is obvious.  It’s his first time back in the ring since suffering his first defeat, and the big question is how he’ll respond to the challenge mentally.  Many fighters have had their illusions of invincibility crushed after such a loss, and they come back more tentative and less confident.

Davis is determined not to let that happen, and vows to come out looking more polished thanks to the learning experience of his loss to Fabiano.

“I learned that I need to be more patient.  In the Wagnney fight I kind of rushed out there and fought like an amateur.  I want to fight more like a seasoned veteran.  It’s just a matter of getting more experience and relaxing in there.”

Overcoming the defeat and coming back against a fighter very much like the one he just faced is no small task for any fighter. 

For Davis , the opportunity to put any lingering doubts to rest might be just what he needs.

L.C. Davis has been around wrestling his entire life and was beginning to make a career out of it when he decided to quit his full-time job as head assistant coach at Pratt Community College to try his hand at professional fighting.

It took a suggestion from world famous MMA trainer Pat Miletich to convince Davis to end his sporadic visits to the MFS gym in Bettendorf, Iowa and make it his permanent home. Soon he was a full-fledged team member, racking up nine straight victories to begin his pro career.

Under Miletich’s watchful eye, Davis was able to develop his strong wrestling background into a well-rounded fight game, making him stand out among the elite that fight under the MFS flag.
IFL Record: 2-1-0
Record: 9-1-0
Height: 5′8″
Weight: 155
DOB: 10/28/80
Style: MFS
Hometown: Kansas City
Residence: MO