One of the most stacked regional MMA events in a long time took place this past weekend in Tulsa, Okla. with the 5150 / XFL co-promoted “New Year’s Revolution”. Several UFC veterans and rising MMA talent came together to entertain the live fans and the online pay-per-view audience.
One of the rising prospects on the card was Chris “The Professional” Davis (7-2), a light heavyweight fighting out of Tuscaloosa, Ala. Chris had been scheduled to fight Jason Lambert, but after Lambert withdrew at the last minute, Chris actually ended up fighting ProMMA.info‘s own “The Human Cock Fighter Blog” author, Brian Imes, and walked away with a first round TKO victory.
We have to give props to Brian for taking the fight on such short notice, but Chris remained the consummate “Professional” and tended to his business. In an effort to highlight another up-and-coming fighter from the South, and to learn more about the dude who beat up on our buddy, we spoke to Chris “The Professional” Davis this week to get the lowdown.
WWW.PROMMA.INFO: Hey Chris, thanks for speaking to us at ProMMA.info. How are things with you today?
CHRIS DAVIS: Everything is good, I had a few days to be lazy and see my daughter and now it’s back to training.
WWW.PROMMA.INFO: You’re coming off a win this past weekend over Brian Imes at “New Year’s Revolution”. You were originally scheduled to fight Jason Lambert. What happened to Lambert, when did you find out you would have a different opponent, and were you disappointed that you didn’t get the shot at Lambert, with him being a UFC vet and everything?
CHRIS DAVIS: I am not a 100% sure what happened to Lambert, all I heard was that he was injured during training. I found out that he was injured Tuesday and that I would be fighting Brian on Wednesday. I had very little info about him except that he was really tall and, of course, that he is Brian Imes’ brother. I was a little disappointed about not getting to fight Lambert he is a great competitor and I think it would have made for a great fight. I did a lot of research on him watched a lot of video, so it felt a little like a waste of time.
WWW.PROMMA.INFO: All in all, what was your opinion of the card and the whole event; did it bother you going on so late?
CHRIS DAVIS: I think they put together a great card, their were a lot of really good fighters on that card and they took really good care of all of the fighters. The show running so late didn’t bother me mentally I just had to adjust when I would eat and my warm up was a little different than normal in that I had to warm up like twice! (laughs) But that’s how it goes in this business. Sometime things don’t go as smoothly as you wish they would.
WWW.PROMMA.INFO: You’ve been fighting professionally for a couple of years now, have put together a 7-2 pro record, and your only losses have come by submission to Vinny Magalhaes and Jeremy Horn. That’s pretty impressive. Both of those guys are known for their expert grappling. What was it like fighting those two guys and what did you take away from those fights?
CHRIS DAVIS: First of all let me say they are both great fighter and very good guys, I got to talk a little with them both after each fight and they were super good guys. It was honor to fight them. I learned more in the loss to Horn than I did any of my wins. After the Horn fight I became mildly obsessed with wrestling! (laughs) It was a big reason I lost that fight. And I did nothing but takedowns and takedown defense for like three of four months, a few hours a day, and I still wrestle 2-3 days a week. I have a lot of regrets about the Magalheas fight, because I know I should have won that fight, I caught an unintentional low blow right at the beginning of the round, and instead of taking my five minutes, out of instinct I took him down. Being the incredible grappler that he his, he caught a triangle very quickly. The plan was to keep it standing and kickbox my way to victory, and after what happened, I am very disappointed.
WWW.PROMMA.INFO: Could you talk a little bit about your Marine Corps experience.
CHRIS DAVIS: I had a great experience in the Marines. I was an 0621, which is a field radio operator, for four years. I never got the opportunity to get deployed and that is my only regret from the Marines, I really wish I could have served my deployment. I loved the brotherhood of the Marine Corps and I use the discipline that I learned in the Marines on a daily basis in MMA today. The cardio we do for our fights is very intense but after being in the Marines I feel like I can do anything I put my mind to and in most cases it’s true. I got out to spend more time with my family and pursue a different challenge.
WWW.PROMMA.INFO: What drew you to MMA, when, and how did you know this is what you wanted to do?
CHRIS DAVIS: I know this is probably the answer that a lot of fighters give, but I saw Royce Gracie fight in all of the early UFC’s and I fell in love with it. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to train around where I lived and since I was 12-years-old that was a problem. As I grew up I found out that I was naturally athletic and strongly enjoyed competition. By the time I found a place to train I knew I could succeed in this sport.
WWW.PROMMA.INFO: What fighters do you look up to in the sport?
CHRIS DAVIS: My favorite fighter is George Sr. Pierre. He is methodical and very talented. But as far as fighters that I look up to I gotta say Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Don Frye, all of the early guys. They paved the way for fighters like me, they were working just as hard as I do but for much less money and they still pushed themselves to compete when they weren’t benefiting from it the way the top level guys are nowadays.
WWW.PROMMA.INFO: That is true. They really did a lot for very little. Where do you train and who are some of the coaches and fighters you work with?
CHRIS DAVIS: I train a Headhunter Combatives in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. My head trainer is a guy named Mike Taylor, my jiu-jistu coach is Todd Chappell, my boxing coach Jay Deas at Skyy Boxing and my wrestling coach is my training partner and fellow pro fighter John Salter. Mike has a really strong background in combatives and Muay Thai, and probably the best fighter I know. He actually fought Carlos Newton in like 96′. Todd has a gym in Trussville, Alabama and he is a purple belt under Alliance Jiu-Jitsu. Jay owns Skyy Boxing. He is a great coach he has a few guys that are ranked in the country. The 2008 Olympic Bronze medalist actually trains there. John is a fellow pro fighter, he just had his debut in the UFC two weeks ago. He was a national Champion in college and a great wrestler.
WWW.PROMMA.INFO: What is next for Chris “The Professional” Davis? You fought five times in 2009 – would you like to keep up that pace again this year, and if you had your dream come true where would you be fighting and against who would you be fighting this time next year?
CHRIS DAVIS: I would love to continue to fight at that pace, I really enjoy fighting so the more I can do it, the happier I am. If I had my dream I would like to have about three or four months heads-up and make my debut in the UFC this year. As far as who I would be fighting, I would like it to be anybody that can push me really hard. I love competition and I thrive on it. I want fight the best in the world.
WWW.PROMMA.INFO: Chris, thanks for taking the time to speak with us. We wish you all the best in your career. Are there any sponsors you want to thank or do you have any shout-outs?
CHRIS DAVIS: Yes, I would like to thank Monte Cox, Full Tilt Poker, Tapout, Headhunter Combatives, Alliance of Trussville, Skyy Boxing, Omega Attire, Buddy Vail, everybody I train with for helping me get ready for my fights and every fan of this sport.
By: Jack Bratcher