Carrying a professional record of 17-5, Davis has fought in Affliction, Titan Fighting Championship, the WEC, and the IFL under the tutelage of Pat Miletich, this former top 10 featherweight looks to reclaim his status; this time as a newly minted bantamweight.
1MR: You’ve been fighting for a while now. As far as training and fighting goes, who
inspired you to fight?
LC: Deryck Ripley. He was a college (wrestling) team mate of
mine. He started fighting, and I thought “this looks cool,” and I helped him
train a little. The first fight I ever saw, Deryck fought Jake Ellenberger his
first pro fight and I was in his corner. He got man handled by Jake, but I
thought it was pretty cool and I wanted to try it.
Two or three weeks later I
had my first fight. I was kind of blowing smoke, and he (Deryck) told me he got
me a fight in three weeks, so I thought well, okay, he called my bluff, so now
I’ve got to do it.
1MR: After not fighting at all in 2011, how did that affect your
training and preparation coming in to 2012?
LC: I had a lot that happened (in 2011). I was cut by the
WEC after losing two in a row. I had won three in a row and had a number one
contender match with Josh Grispi. He won and got the title shot against Jose
Aldo. Then, I lost a close fight to Rafael Assuncao, another tough guy. That
was just after Zuffa took over the WEC, so there was that added pressure of
making sure I had a good performance. Shortly About two weeks later, I got cut by
the WEC. Instead of trying to win, I was trying not to lose.
After I got cut, I got right back up on the horse and signed
a deal with Titan. I had a great training camp and felt great, but shortly
before the fight I hurt my knee really bad. I didn’t have insurance, so I didn’t
go to the doctor. I stayed off my knee for a week, and then had to cut weight
the next week. I ended up pulling out of that fight. It was the first time I
ever pulled out of a fight in my career.
The week after that fight was to happen, I got a call from
my girlfriend and she told me she was pregnant. So in a month’s time, I get cut
from the WEC, hurt my knee, and find out my girlfriend is pregnant.
I did some rehab on my knee for a while and it started
getting better. I was getting back in to training, and then the Ultimate
Fighter came up (for 134 and 145lb fighters. Dodson and Brandao were the
winners on that season.). My manager told me I needed to audition, but I told
him I didn’t have the time or money. He told me to send in a video, so I did. I
got called to the final audition, and the casting directors were impressed that
I made it that far for not having been to the auditions. After doing all of the
interviews and everything, I came back, and all my friends were telling me that
I needed to get in shape for the show.
The first day back in training I felt me knee pop and this
time I was bad. It swelled up really bad and I knew it didn’t look good. A few
days after that I got the call that I hadn’t made the show. I knew I had to get some insurance.
At this point, I didn’t have a job. I had been making over
$60k a year fighting at the top level, so I didn’t have to worry about money or
anything. But since I got cut (from the WEC), I didn’t have any income or
insurance or anything, and now I also had a baby coming. Luckily, God blessed
me and I got insurance and had the surgery on my knee. I was nickel and diming
jobs until I got the job here (Title’s Fight Store)… and was able to open up my
gym.
In 2012, after having the surgery and having our baby, I
decided I was ready to take a fight. I signed on to fight in February against a
guy with a 3-0 record. He had fought twice in Strikeforce at 170, but was
fighting me at 145. It was in his home town in Indiana, and I ended up losing a
split decision. It was a tough fight. He was so big that he kept taking me down
and I was fighting to get up, but I just couldn’t get back up. He was just too
big and strong. After that fight, I decided to make the move down to 135.
1MR: Rumor has it you have a fight coming up in August?
LC: Nothing signed yet. I’m hoping to have a fight in August
or September. It’ll hopefully be here in KC for Titan or another option
possibly in San Diego or San Jose.
1MR: How has fatherhood changed your outlook on your
fighting career?
LC: It hasn’t changed too much. If anything it’s helped give
me more motivation. It does make it harder to train at other gyms and things
like that. As far as my views on fighting and my career, they’ve stayed the
same. I still have the same goals and passions.
1MR: So I’ve got to ask, Sonnen or Silva?
LC: My heart is with Anderson. I hope Anderson wins. What I
think will happen, I think it could be a lot like the first fight. I think
Sonnen could pull it out. I don’t see Sonnen winning any part of the stand up
this time. I think he’s going to be
shooting in fast, if not he’s going to get hurt. I think once he (Sonnen) gets
him down, he can establish control and set up a submission.
1MR: Do you think that having the first fight experience
against Sonnen will give Silva an advantage for this fight?
LC: He (Silva) knew what to expect going in to the first
fight. That’s how Chael beat Nate Marquardt and everybody else, just taking
them down and grinding them out. It should help seeing it and everything. I
think this time Silva’s going to knock him out or hurt him really bad, or Chael
will win like he did the last time, but not get caught in a submission.
1MR: Who are the two fighters, past or present, from any
weight class, you’d like to see fight?
LC: Right now, the two I’d like to see fight the most are
Jon Jones and Anderson Silva. Outside of that, I’d like to see Jake Ellenberger
fight GSP. I’m a huge Jake Ellenberger fan, and really a fan of both of them.
1MR: How has having the gym changed your approach to
training?
LC: It’s harder, but in a lot of ways it helps. It keeps me
in the gym all the time. There were times before where after a fight I wanted
to take a break, but now, usually the day after a fight I’m right back in the
gym. So, it’s good that I’m always in the gym. It helps me stay in shape.
1MR: A lot of times when a fighter becomes a trainer, it
changes their approach to their own training. You start to see things
differently. How has being a trainer changed the way you train?
LC: Well, my first fight back I just trained on my own. I
didn’t really have any coaches. I just did my classes at the gym and kind of
winged it. For my last fight, I had a strength and conditioning coach, a boxing
coach, a Muay Thai coach, a Jiu Jitsu coach, and a wrestling coach.
1MR: One last question: We talked about Sonnen vs. Silva, so
what about Ortiz/Griffin III?
LC: I hope Ortiz wins. I want to see him go out on top. He
helped bring the UFC to where they are now. The first two were pretty close ,
but I think Tito can win.
The bottom line for LC is to make his way back to the UFC. He feels confident in his ability to stand with the best in the bantamweight division, just as he did as a featherweight. With another two or three years left in his fight game, he wants to go out on top, and ultimately leave a legacy for his son.
A truly gifted athlete and all around nice guy, LC is nothing to laugh at in the cage. With his most recent victory in Titan Fighting Championship coming by way of a TKO, he's shown that he's back with a vengeance.
Davis and training partner, Strikeforce and UFC veteran Jason High, own HD MMA in Leawood, KS (http://www.HighDavisMMA.com). Their upstart school has produced some serious talent, and from the looks of it, they'll crank out a lot more in the coming years.
Be sure to follow LC on Twitter @LC_Davis.
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