UFC Fight Night 24 Recap and Analysis: Phil Davis defeats the Legend
Posted on March 27, 2011, 12:45 AM by Ryan VenturaPhil Davis entered the Octagon focused and determined in his bout with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. This was Davis' biggest fight to date, this was Lil' Nog's opportunity to derail the hype train. Prior to setting foot in Seattle's Key Arena, Phil Davis has made easy work of everybody he has fought. But he has yet to test himself against a true game opponent. Nogueira was the perfect man to push Phil Davis to the limit. Lil' Nog is trying to stay relevant in world of Mixed Martial Arts and Davis is trying to move one step closer to Jon Jones' Light Heavyweight title.
In the first round, Phil Davis worked Rogerio Nogueira with kicks to the body and legs. While Lil' Nog preferred to use his trademark boxing, landing numerous counters. Making use of NCAA Division One wrestling background, Davis tried to takedown Nogueira, but the seasoned veteran showcased a serious sprawl and takedown defense.
The 2nd round was a different story, Davis finally solved the puzzle of Lil' Nog's takedown defense, and managed to dictate the pace with his wrestling. Control was the story for the rest of the fight, with Davis winning the bout via unanimous decision.
Questions I have after seeing Davis vs. Nogueira:
- Is Lil' Nog destined to be a Light Heavyweight gatekeeper, much like he was in PRIDE?
- Did Davis impress enough to take his career to the next level?
- Who is next for Phil Davis in his quest for the Light Heavyweight title?
- At the age of 34, how many fights do you think Antonio Rogerio Nogueira has left in the tank?
Notes from UFC Fight Night 24:
- Justice was served in the long awaited rematch between “Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung and Leonard Garcia. No questionable decision this time for Garcia! When Nam Phan gets better, he deserves a shot at redemption against Leonard Garcia next.
- Amir Sadollah looked great against DaMarques Johnson in their bout. He landed huge elbows on the ground, that forced “DJ” to eventually tap. When was the last time we saw someone tap to strikes? It's been a while.
- Anthony Johnson trained very hard for Dan Hardy and did a great job exploiting the holes in the game of “The Outlaw”. When you have a big Welterweight like “Rumble” on top of you for most of the fight, expect to stay on the ground for all three rounds.
- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira looked pretty good in the beginning of his bout with Phil Davis, showcasing some wonderful takedown defense. But once again superior wrestling has won the fight. Not the most exciting way to win, but it does the job.
- Interesting note, for the first time in Lil' Nog's career he has lost two straight fights.
Lowkick Awards for UFC Fight Night 24:
Performance of the Night – Amir Sadollah is my MVP of the night. He dominated DaMarques Johnson for two rounds, did a great job showcasing his superior standup, and devastating ground game.
Finish of the Night – I give this award to the “Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. He proved to be superior on the feet and even better on the ground, finishing off his rival Leonard Garcia with a highlight reel submission known as “The Twister” made famous by 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu's, Eddie Bravo (I recommend you Youtube it).
Good Sportsmanship Award – I give this award to both Amir Sadollah and DaMarques Johnson. Both men had a great deal of respect for each other and even in victory Amir gave a lot of credit to DJ. You can even argue Anthony Johnson and Dan Hardy for this prize as well.
Disappointment of the Night – Unfortunately I have to give this unwanted prize to “The Outlaw” Dan Hardy. After fighting Georges St.Pierre at UFC 111, you'd figure he would do everything in his power to improve his ground game, and takedown defense. With three straight losses, his UFC future is now in the air.
Photo taken by Rod Mar for ESPN
Comments
**** i didn't expect that!!!
There is a huge diff between Jones, and Davis. This fight showed it.
in the article you said that its been a while since wev seen someone tap to strikes...i may get hated on for this, but i believe shogun tapped to strikes against jones, because i dont know why else he would just randomly tap the ground like that, and this is from a big shogun fan
Bader first?
you will get hated for but it is true
Very much so... Shogun tapped out ! You can clearly see it...
I just said the same thing before I read your comment 0.0
It is true that shogun tapped but no1 can say they wouldnt have given up after round 2 against jones. at least shogun was sensible enough to know that he couldn't win and getting even more injured or cut or worse is no good for your career. no shame in knowing the limits
*sigh* it is very important especially in combat sports for fighters to know their limits.
For the record though, officially Shogun lost to Jones via. TKO. But it doesn't matter, the fact is he was be demolished, and like many of you I'm a die hard Shogun fan.
@rottenpunch i agree with you completely tbh, theres a stigma attached to tapping to strikes by some fans, most of whom would do it themselves if put in a similar situation....like u said he knew he couldnt win, but instead of taking more damage he admitted defeat, and hopefully we can see him back in the cage sooner because of it
Phil Davis needs a lot of work yet.
Lil'Nog has lost three in a row--I include Jason Brilz--and on some people 34 is young, but little Nog looks like he is in his late 40s.
Amir Sadollah is back on track--he has unrealize potential.
And so doe Anthony Johnson--who looks even more formidable with a ground game much improved. He still looks huge, and says in Dana's blog he weighed 195 fight day? wtf.
I agree about Dan Hardy. He had very pointed life lessons from which he refused to learn--he's getting beaten standing and on the ground. He is a fan favorite, but 3 losses in a row is not good for anyone in the UFC.
The Twister was sick--first time I have seen it in a fight.
@Codemaster:
Ya Phil needs a ton of work, but I believe he has some good tools to work with to improve his career.
Ya Lil Nog's age is showing, I was thinking a fight now with Tito would be appropriate, but that ain't happening now that Ortiz is fighting Bader....Unless Tito gets injured again....
I didn't expect Sadollah to be that dominate.
Ya Anthony has a long way to go, my sources told me he made weight no problem for the fight even though he is big. However, I'd like to see him move up.
Now that Strikeforce is part of the ZUFFA umbrella, I can see Dan Hardy fighting in the six sided cage.
I was happy to see Zombie bust out that Twister! Amazing work!
Weak, just like my comment.
Weak, just like you clicked ''Sharp''
I see, bully of the playground. I don't "sharp" my own comments because they are my opinions and if somebody don't like it, i couldn't care less. So there goes your "sharpness", PUNK!
I have to say i was not impressed by lil Nogs performance, and im starting to wonder if the sport might be passing himand big Nog by right now just like with Mirko Krokop and Antrei Arlovski etc
unfortunately I think you are right. I am a hardcore pride fc fan and I have to admit that mma has changed a whole lot in the last 5 years and I also think it is the next generations turn. I will be a massive fedor/cro cop/nog fan 4ever but I just think their time may be up
on his past 2 outings ive felt like lil nog is still with it. big nog far from with it, so is cro cop, and fedor, its still to early to tell.
it was very mature of Phil to hang on and persevere and win that fight I was definitely impressed in-cage now
1st Q - No. 2nd - Q No. 3rd Q - Sure as hell not Jon Jones! and 4th... Sure he should keep fighting, look at Randy Couture. The main event sucked, but it wasn't as bad as the co-main event. Out of all the fights, I was most impressed with Saddallahs Fight, and also seeing Lil Nog's ability to stand up effectively against a young buck was pretty cool. But Davis isn't anywhere close to Jon Jones skill level. Correct me if I'm wrong but, wasn't shogun about to, or possibly even starting to tap when the Ref stopped the fight against Jones? sure looks like it to me, it was more noticable than Brock Lesnar tapping which everyone made a HUGE deal about. Rant complete!
screw nam vs garcia we already know namphans way better than lenard. i wanna see nampahn vs korean zombie!
I think Phan / Garcia needs to happen because both men are now coming off losses and this is a perfect chance for Phan to get redemption.
i scored it a draw. nog 1st, 10 - 10 second and third was davis
how about who ever beats Ortiz next? LAL
beats a guy
that was beat by Rua
who was
beat by Jones
I don't see a match there at least not for about a year
by which time Jones will be fighting Cain