Davis, Machida square off, eye return to UFC title hunt

Former NCAA wrestling champion Phil Davis could be one win from earning a light heavyweight title shot in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

He’s been in this position once before. Things did not go well for him last time.

Davis suffered the only defeat of his career in a No. 1 contender bout against Rashad Evans in January 2012, a unanimous decision that was not particularly close.

No title shot is guaranteed to the winner of Davis’ UFC 163 matchup against former champion Lyoto Machida tonight in Rio de Janeiro, but either fighter could stake a claim to top-contender status with an impressive performance.

Davis hopes to employ whatever lessons he learned against Evans to help make sure things turn out differently this time.

“There’s a lot (I can take from it). Most importantly, I know what not to do,” Davis said. “I did lose to the No. 1 contender at that time, but I didn’t get beat up and that’s always good. Not getting beat up is part of the game, at least that’s my favorite part of the game. So how am I going to apply this to Lyoto Machida? I really don’t know. They’re two completely different guys. They don’t fight alike. They don’t look alike. They don’t talk alike.

“I’m just going to go out there and do what I need to do to wrap this guy up.”

That has proved difficult for practically everyone in the 205-pound division outside of champion Jon Jones. Machida is among the most elusive fighters in the sport, and his style of karate makes training to fight him very difficult.

“I brought in a couple of people to help me get a feel for what he does, but nobody can really do what he does. He does it better than anybody. He has a very unique style and he’s a guy that’s really good with a certain set of skills,” Davis said. “I don’t necessarily have to try to fight like him in order to win. I just have to be on my ‘A’ game, and be extremely good at what I do.”

That would be wrestling.

Davis won the NCAA championship for Penn State as a senior in 2008 after top-seven finishes nationally in his first three years, including a runner-up placement as a sophomore.

Those skills served Davis well as he began his mixed martial arts career by winning his first nine fights, including five as he climbed the ranks in the UFC.

Losing to Evans proved quite a setback in the hierarchy of the crowded light heavyweight division, but back-to-back wins have him thinking about the belt again.

“I don’t really know where I fit in the whole title contention picture. I don’t really go by the rankings,” Davis said. “I looked at the rankings once and I was disappointed, so I never looked at them again. I just kind of go fight by fight. I won my last fight, but I really wanted to get a finish. I’m going to win this fight and if I get a finish, it’ll put me a lot further along than a loss or a (decision) win will.”

Machida could use an impressive finish as well. He also has won two fights in a row since losing in a bid to reclaim the title from Jones and appeared in line to get yet another title shot with a win over Dan Henderson in February.

Machida, 35, got that victory, but was hardly spectacular in evading and pecking his way to a split decision.

It would be tough to deny him a shot with another win over a leading contender. He knows he’ll have to get through Davis first, though.

“I want to fight for the title, but my motivation is still there (in this fight),” Machida said through a translator. “There’s still motivation to win this fight and get through it, and then go and fight for the title.”

The fight is part of a pay-per-view card, featuring a main event of Chan Sung Jung challenging Jose Aldo for the featherweight belt, scheduled to air at 7 p.m.

Four preliminary card bouts will air live on FX (Cable 24) at 5. The remaining three fights will stream live on Facebook, beginning at 3:30.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.