LC Davis is Ready for His Close-up

Since turning professional in 2006, Kansas City native LC Davis has racked up an impressive 15-2 pro record, defeating some of the most accomplished names in his division in the process, including Conor Heun, Bao Quach, Javier Vazquez, and most recently, Diego Nunes. While he was unsuccessful in his bid for the Sengoku Featherweight Championship after being defeated by Japanese standout Michihiro Omigawa, Davis is 2-0 since joining the Zuffa-owned WEC promotion last year. Tonight, Davis will put all of his training to the ultimate test, as he takes on powerful and aggressive grappler Deividas Taurosevicius on the main card of WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz, which takes place at the NationWide Arena in Columbus, Ohio with the entire main card airing live on the Versus Channel.

Davis recently spoke with Tapology’s Steven Kelliher to give his thoughts on Taurosevicius, fighting on the main card for the first time since joining the Zuffa, LLC fold, moving camp to Xtreme Couture in recent months, and his thoughts on challenging the upper echelon of the WEC’s featherweight division–including champion Jose Aldo–in the near future.

Tapology: What are your thoughts on Deividas Taurosevicius and do you think this is your biggest fight with the WEC so far?

Davis: I think Deividas is a very tough fighter. He’s well rounded, fights at a good, fast pace and I think it’s going to be a tough challenge for me. As far as being my biggest fight, I always think that my next fight is my biggest fight so it’s a very important fight for me. There’s a lot on the line, but I’ve trained my butt off and I’m ready for the challenge.

Tapology: You have been asked if you want to keep this fight standing since Taurosevicius is known for his ground skills, but you have a fair share of submissions yourself. Do you think your ability to fight well both on the feet and on the ground is going to be the difference in this fight?

Davis: Yeah absolutely. I think the key to me winning is just going to be mixing it up. I do think he is more comfortable on the ground, but he’s very well rounded, so I’m not going to say that I’m going to keep it standing; I’m going to use all of my skills—my wrestling, my boxing, my kickboxing and everything to keep him guessing and I think that’ll open up more opportunities for me.

Tapology: Nobody ever knows what’s going to happen in an MMA fight, but on paper this fight has all the makings of a back and forth war. Do you think that is a probable scenario?

Davis: I’m always trying to finish opponents and I’m going to try to finish him, but I picture this fight as being a three round war, a dog fight, and I think we’re going to be fighting in every position and it will be a good fight for the fans.

Tapology: Since this is your first fight with a guaranteed spot on the televised main card, do you think you need to finish him or would putting on a good show and getting the win do you just as well?

Davis: Ultimately, I just want to put on a good show, win or lose. I want to have a great fight. I want people to remember me and to want to see me fight again—I think that’ll be the key to getting onto more main cards in the future. I think I’ll get the victory, but I just want to put on a good show for the fans.

Tapology: You have talked recently about your decision to include Xtreme Couture into your training camps. Did you consider any other big-name gyms or did you always know you would end up there?

Davis: Before I went to Xtreme Couture, I thought about a lot of places. I thought about Greg Jackson’s, American Top Team, but ultimately, I knew a few guys at Xtreme Couture already and it was just kind of a good fit for me. Being with a lot of wrestlers there is great for my style.

Tapology: Along with having a lot of good wrestlers, most of your training partners are UFC lightweight contenders, so was it also a positive that you probably won’t be faced with the prospect of fighting any teammates from Xtreme Couture in the WEC featherweight division?

Davis: Yeah that was a huge reason too. I don’t want to go train with guys that I’m potentially going to be fighting, and Xtreme Couture has so many great lightweights so that is what they end up running into with Evan Dunham and Tyson Griffin fighting soon. They also said I was a perfect fit because I’m a 145-pounder and they really don’t have any 145lb fighters, so they were welcome to that too. I like going to a gym where I have a lot of competition with great 155-pounders, but I also don’t have to train with future opponents.

Tapology: How do you feel about the traveling you are doing now for your training? Is it structured pretty well?

Davis: I did it right. Going to Japan really helped me learn about jet lag and take it seriously, so I learned from that and found out the proper steps to take. I take all of the precautions and really haven’t had any negative effects.

Tapology: Have you spared any time to think about where this fight will put you should you win or lose or are you able to completely shut all of that stuff out?

Davis: I think the winner of this fight is going to be in the mix for a title and will be up there with the bigger name guys and in the hunt and the loser will be dropped right back down into the pack. I want to win and get closer to the title because I don’t want to climb my way back up to this point, so I definitely have a little added motivation to win this fight.

Tapology: Is there anything specific—other than winning—you will be striving to accomplish in this fight?

Davis: Mainly my only goal is to go out, fight, and do the things that I have trained to do. I think that if I stick to the game plan and fight to the best of my abilities then I will win the fight.

Tapology: A lot of WEC fighters have been asked financial questions as of late. With the promotion now going into the Pay Per View business, does that excite you for the financial possibilities for the near future?

Davis: Yeah, I mean anything that is going to help the fighters and open up different avenues for the fighters is great. We really don’t get compensated anything close to many professional athletes, but at the same time as a fan I love that they show the fights for free on Versus, but if the Pay Per Views help us then let’s do that.

Tapology: Most people consider the WEC to be the best promotion in the world at your weight class. Do you agree with that and do you plan on staying with this promotion for as long as you can?

Davis: Yes absolutely. I hope to finish my career with the WEC or UFC, and I want to be with Zuffa from here on out. I’m going to train hard and fight harder so hopefully they will always have me in their organization.

Tapology: When you look at the top dogs in your division—from Jose Aldo and Urijah Faber to Mike Thomas Brown—what is it about your fighting style that will allow you to compete with those guys once you get up there?

Davis: I think I’m as athletic as any guy in the division. I think I can match anyone with my speed, power, and athleticism. To beat those guys, I’m just going to have to train my butt off and be very well rounded. You’ve got to be like Georges St-Pierre and just keep guys guessing, and I think that’s the key to be really successful in this sport.

Tapology: Any last message to the fans about why they should make sure they catch your fight?

Davis: I think you should tune in and watch my fight because you could see the next contender for the belt. If you want to see a really tough fight between two well rounded fighters then tune in.

Tapology: Thanks a lot and good luck.

Davis: Thank you.