Fight Preview: Phil Davis vs Vinny Magalhaes
by Tarik The Great
Saturday-night, the UFC number 8 ranked light-heavy weight mixed martial artist, Phil "Mr. Wonderful" Davis, looks to quiet and end the 6 fight win streak of the non-ranked and trash-talking Vinny "Pezao" Magalhaes. Mr. Wonderful has indicated that he simply wants to submit someone whom he believes to be biting off more than he can chew, while Pezao has stated that Phil Davis is overrated and he will expose that fact. Mr. Wonderful begs to differ. Not only does he promise a win, he thinks he'll get it via submission.
Bold words, but can he back it up? Phil Davis has 4 submission victories to his name, none of which were against a world class jiu jitsu practitioner such as Vinny Magalhaes. Vinny Magalhaes is a submission specialist with 8 out of his 10 wins coming via submission. He also won gold at the 2011 Abu Dhabi Combat Club, defeating the great Fabricio Werdum, no easy feat. Phil Davis, on the other hand, is primarily a wrestler, but saying that he is just a wrestler doesn't do him justice. Phil Davis is an elite wrestler with decent striking. Mr. Wonderful generally utilizes his superior wrestling to dictate the pace and location of where the fight takes place. Vinny Magalhaes, on the other hand, has demonstrated improved striking, but make no doubt about it, he is a vicious submission fighter, possibly the light heavyweight version of Frank Mir. As a matter of fact Vinny took a page out of Mir's pre-fight playbook when he stated he'd like to pop Davis' arm and take it home.
Now that Saturday-night is almost here, it's time to put the trash talk aside and see how these 2 men match up. Vinny Malgahaes boasts a record of 10 wins and 5 losses. Interestingly, the majority of those losses have been via decision. Phil Davis has a record of 10 wins and 1 loss, his sole loss coming via decision.
Looking at these men's records, in addition to their fighting styles, it's easy to think that Mr. Wonderful wins this fight via decision, but it seems as though Pezao has found the pep in his step. Vinny Magalhaes has been on a tear since being released from the UFC. He has won 7 out of his last 8, with finishes in every fight. Pezao has improved his strike game and poses a real danger to Mr. Wonderful, both on the feet and on the ground. Though Phil Davis has 4 submission victories, it is not likely that Vinny Magalhaes will be submitted by him. Despite Pezao's resurgence, this fight will not be a barn burner. It will be a "war of attrition," the kind of war in which Phil Davis is a seasoned veteran. On Saturday-night, Phil Davis will continue to do what Phil Davis does, and that's set up the takedown with strikes, rinse and repeat. Phil Davis will grind out a unanimous decision victory.
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