Without much fanfare, Alexis Davis has worked her way into position to challenge for the UFC women’s bantamweight title.
While other names in the division make headlines, the 29-year-old Port Colbourne, Ontario native now based in roughly halfway between Stockton and San Francisco has been going about the business of adding wins to her resume and strengthening her case for a championship bout.
Considered to be one of the top potential challengers for the women’s bantamweight title when the division was introduced into the UFC in December 2012, Davis has used the last year and change to bolster her standing, climbing to No. 3 in the latest edition of the UFC Fighter Rankings on the heels of a standout effort against former title challenger Liz Carmouche.
“I’m the type of fighter that likes to be the underdog, so being on a military base with an ex-Marine, you kind of put yourself in that role,” admits Davis.
The two faced off in the co-main event of November’s Fight for the Troops event at Fort Kennedy, and it proved to be a coming out party for the emerging Canadian contender.
After grinding her way to a unanimous decision win over veteran Rosi Sexton in her UFC debut, Davis looked like a different fighter in her sophomore appearance, battering the former Marine with a steady diet of kicks en route to her second straight UFC victory.
“You know what? Whether it was the cage, the first time being in the Octagon, the whole experience of it all, I just felt really well prepared,” says Davis of her second trip into the Octagon. “I trained really hard for that camp and had great coaches analyzing and studying Liz for that camp. I felt so much more relaxed in there, and I felt like I could have kept going—I could have gone for another two or three rounds.
“(My striking has) come a long way. I train at Combat Sports Academy with world champions and I really feel like I’ve come leaps and bounds with my striking,” explains Davis, who holds black belts in both Japanese and Brazilian jiu-jitsu and has been viewed as a submission specialist for the majority of her career.
“I think of it a little like Anderson Silva—his stand-up was so good that he didn’t have to go to the ground, but he was also a black belt. I feel very comfortable on my feet—I like to stand, I like to bang—but I do have that safety net that I can always fall back to if need be.”
Saturday evening in Las Vegas, Davis will likely get the chance to continue to show off her striking when she shares the Octagon with Ohio native Jessica Eye in the featured bout of the UFC 170 preliminary card.
While she doesn’t enter the bout as the underdog, Davis is in the background when it comes to the attention being given to this contest.
In recent weeks, Eye has been the center of controversy after the Texas Department of Licensing and Registration (TDLR) changed the results of her UFC 166 bout with Sarah Kaufman from a win to a no contest. When no reason was given for the decision, rumours circulated that Eye had tested positive for marijuana, which she vehemently denied.
Soon after, the TDLR confirmed that was in fact the reason for the change, and the scrutiny and second-guessing of Eye resumed in force.
Through it all, Davis has focused solely on their upcoming encounter, hearing the words she needed to here when the story first broke, and tuning out everything else since.
“When it was first released, that day I was like, `What’s going to happen?’ and that kind of stuff,” recalls Davis. “Obviously she has her own stuff going on, but my concern is the fight. Being in touch with my management, MMA Inc., they assured me, `It’s still a go; we’re still on for the 22nd.’
“For me, it was like, `OK—that’s all I need to hear’ and I just kept pushing myself, training hard. I have the same opponent, but if it had switched, we’d switch things up, but I feel good, I feel confident. Even though it has been dragging on, I stay out of it and the fight is my focus.”
And this is a pivotal fight for the 15-5 veteran, who carries a four-fight winning streak into her battle with Eye on Saturday.
Having the women’s bantamweight title on the line in the main event brings a lot of attention to the division, and should Rousey dispatch McMann, there will be an opening at the top of the list of contenders.
While Cat Zingano earned a shot at the title with her win over Miesha Tate, that victory came nearly a year ago and a pair of knee injuries have kept the unbeaten 31-year-old sidelined ever since.
Without a definite timetable for her return, there is an opportunity for Davis to move to the head of the line, and though she’s not the most vocal member of the women’s bantamweight ranks, don’t expect the Canadian contender to keep quiet if she runs her winning streak to five this weekend.
“This is big for me,” she admits as the conversation winds to a close. “I keep feeling like I’m in reaching distance for that belt and I can almost touch it, but I’m not quite there yet. Hopefully this fight, facing a tough opponent, being on the big stage, and having the championship fight the same night…”
She trails off momentarily, pausing to pick her words and put things together as crisply as she did her striking against Carmouche.
“I want my shot,” she says emphatically. “I feel like I’ve been in the running long enough that coming off a big win, you’ve got to give me that opportunity. C’mon Dana White!”