UFC Nashville’s start full of stoppages included a massive knockout from the returning ‘Beast Boy’ landing his first knockout in almost six years.
Mike Davis had a bizarre outing in Saudi Arabia back in February as he was defeated by Fares Ziam, marking his first defeat since before the coronavirus pandemic. He claimed it was due to issues he had fighting overseas, and proved that may have been the case with a fantastic performance in Nashville.
Davis almost had Mitch Ramirez out with a choke in the first round, before going to war on the feet in the second and eventually coming out on top. And he cited his training at Mike Tyson’s old gym in New York as what got him through the boxing exchanges.
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Mike Davis brutally knocks out Mitch Ramirez at UFC Nashville
After his strange defeat to Fares Ziam, Mike Davis knew that as a massive favorite against Mitch Ramirez he needed a big performance. He almost delivered on that in the first few minutes, getting his rival’s back and locking in a choke, but he couldn’t quite get his hand in the right place.
He spent almost the entirety of the first round on the back of Ramirez attempting to lock in the appropriate choke. And when the second round kicked off, they went to battle on the feet and the underdog even landed big, coming close to a finish of his own.
Ultimately, Davis managed to show his superior striking as he landed a big knee which he followed up with strikes. It marked the second knockout of the night, which has been littered with finishes at the point of writing.
Mike Davis claims training at Mike Tyson’s gym helped him with striking
Following his big win, Davis spoke to Daniel Cormier in the octagon about what had gone right in his performance. He highlighted his boxing on the night, noting that he honed his skills at the Catskills, New York-based Cus D’Amato’s KO Boxing Gym.
“I come from a boxing background,” he explained. “And in boxing you’re not supposed to throw every punch with 100 per cent because you are going to get tired so you pitter pat. You heard my corner telling me ‘move a little here, touch touch’ and that’s what I’m trying to do.
“I’m touching you up making sure I can see where openings are coming from and then hit him really hard where it matters… I’m a boxer at heart, I come from Cus D’Amato’s gym in the Catskills, New York. I come from the same boxing gym as Mike Tyson, you guys want to see me box, I can box and I’m here.”