Phil Davis on Controversial UFC 163 Win: I Know it Was Close, But I Did Enough
While it was not a popular decision with live audience at UFC 163, Phil Davis nevertheless believes his victory over Lyoto Machida was a just one.
Davis scored a unanimous decision win over “The Dragon” in Saturday night’s co-main event at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro.
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Though Machida controlled the majority of the standup action during the 15-minute bout, Davis managed to score takedowns at the end of the first two frames, a fact which may have swayed the judges to deliver their 29-28 scores across the board. However, Davis came up empty on takedowns in the third frame, as Machida shucked off multiple attempts from the former NCAA Division I wrestling champion.
“I knew he was tough and could move great laterally. I watched his tape. I’ve seen the man before. He’s so quick back and forth -- it’s pretty impressive. And he’s also quick north and south, so I knew what I was up against,” said Davis. “He seriously got on my nerves with a couple of straight lefts, but I was in it the whole time. I didn’t get wobbled at all.”
Davis’ victory over the highly regarded Machida could place “Mr. Wonderful” close to a title shot, but the light heavyweight contender was quick to defer to UFC brass regarding his future plans.
“That’s not for me to decide,” said Davis. “[Machida] was the No. 1 contender. He’s been on top for a while and has been promised a title shot. I can’t say enough about how awesome the man is. A win over him, I don’t know where it puts me. That’s for the boss to decide.”
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