Outside Source
Having worked as a manager for over 30 years, Alex Davis has seen it all. Currently in charge of the careers of names such as Deiveson Figueiredo, Julia Polastri, Edson Barboza, Larissa Pacheco, Norma Dumont and Amanda Ribas, the beloved figure has worked with many of the best in the business. It was especially great for Davis, who had the aforementioned first two athletes competing and prevailing at UFC Rio this past Saturday. He spoke with Sherdog about the moving and shaking of his crew of top-tier fighters.
“Julia needed this win to renew her contract and she pulled it off impressively, knocking out a veteran who had only been knocked out once in her 25 fights. To top it all off, she also received a performance bonus,” Davis remarked.
Regarding the former flyweight champion, the manager praised his performance and offered him as a backup for the UFC 323 main event, confirmed Monday by UFC chief Dana White, for the rematch between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili. Figueiredo outworked Montel Jackson across three rounds to shed a losing streak.
“Montel showed he’s very tough, has great reach, and wasn’t coming off a six-fight winning streak by chance,” the manager noted. “Deiveson fought intelligently and earned an excellent victory. Since he’s a former champion and the only top fighter in the division who’s never fought Merab, he could be a backup for the UFC 323 main event. Why not?”
From One Champ to Another
While a couple of the names Davis manages are closing in on championship opportunities, one of his fighters is actively scheduled to win a title: Amanda Nunes. She plans to come back stronger than ever to get past her former American Top Team training partner.
Davis was proud to declare that Pacheco will be joining Nunes in training ahead of her fight against Kayla Harrison. The date and location of that matchup is still not official, but “The Lioness” is all systems go when it comes to preparing to win her bantamweight strap back. Harrison wrecked Julianna Pena to pick up the belt in June, claiming the UFC throne in just three fights. To prepare for a massive foe like Harrison, Nunes brought aboard a woman who has already matched the two-time Olympic gold medalist in size and power.
“Larissa traveled to the U.S. this Monday to help Amanda with her camp for Kayla,” Davis revealed.” I thought it was very smart of Amanda to invite her, not only for the training, but also for the psychological factor. When Kayla sees the only opponent who beat her in the corner, it affects her mentally. Excellent for Larissa too, because she’ll keep training. The PFL really isn’t going through a good time. [Her] purse is a significant one. The other problem is the weight class. [Pacheco] fights at 145, and we no longer have that weight class in either the UFC or the PFL. In my opinion, she’s the best female fighter ever. I firmly believe that if you put her on equal terms with Amanda, she’ll win.”
Another athlete he manages is also hovering around the title picture at 135 pounds, with Norma Dumont matched up against Ketlen Vieira in December for a potential title eliminator. Davis all-but guaranteed that Dumont will crush her opponent and call for a shot at the belt.
“Everyone saw what [Dumont] he did to Aldana,” the manager reminded. “I’m fully convinced she’ll beat Ketlen and fight for the belt against the winner of Amanda and Kayla.”
With a career as long as his, Davis has had more ups and downs in his career than a roller coaster. Even maintaining a substantial group of fighters under his managerial wing, his memory is still as good as ever. When asked to choose the best and worst moments of his long career as a coach and manager, Davis knew immediately.
“I have to pick two of the best,” Davis stated. “When ‘Pezao’ [Antonio Silva] beat Fedor [Emelianenko] and when Larissa beat Kayla in the trilogy match. The worst moment was, without a doubt, when Amanda [Ribas] got injured in her last fight. I care about her almost like a daughter. Seeing her in so much pain and not being able to do anything was desperate. I suffered post-traumatic stress disorder from it. Now we’re in a delicate recovery. We have to let time pass for her to get back on track. I’m taking her to the U.S. for a series of tests and we’ll see what happens.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
Help support MMACrazies.com when you shop Amazon by starting your online Amazon shopping at MMACrazies.com/recommends/amazon. You are not charged extra, but we receive a small and very helpful commission on everything you purchase. Thanks for thinking of us every time you shop at Amazon.
