SEATTLE – Fighting just seven days after fellow young gun Jon Jones (13-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) claimed the UFC's light heavyweight belt, undefeated prospect Phil Davis (9-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) simply couldn't avoid the questions.
Try as he might to deflect the comparisons to "Bones," the wrestling phenom was forced to discuss his future even before he stepped into the cage to face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in the featured bout of Saturday night's UFC Fight Night 24 event.
And while Davis essentially avoided the questions prior to his unanimous-decision win, he answered directly when quizzed post-fight. I'm my own man, Davis proclaimed, but if Jones and I are on a collision course, then bring it on.
"The man that makes the decisions is not here right now," Davis told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) in a press conference that was missing UFC president Dana White. "Listen, if Dana says fight him, I'll fight him. He says, 'Get him,' I got him."
Of course, the opposite also holds true.
"He don't say get him, I don't got him," Davis said.
For Davis, it's that simple. At 26 years old, Davis is three years Jones' elder, but he's stepped into the cage five fewer times. Most MMA pundits have believed for at least the past year that the two would eventually clash with a belt on the line. Of course, Jones' career progress was drastically increased with a Rashad Evans injury, and the lanky light heavyweight took advantage of the opportunity to earn the 205-pound crown by dispatching of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at this past week's UFC 128 event.
Davis' career has followed a similarly accelerated path with five octagon wins in a 13-month period. But where Jones felt ready for his shot at the belt, Davis isn't so sure his time is now.
"I don't know," Davis admitted. "I probably should take some time. I had a busy last year.
"Pretty much everyone I've ever fought has had more experience than I have in fighting. Just going through four fights in one year has put me in a place where everyone is a lot more experienced than I am. I just need to make sure I'm giving myself enough time to develop as a fighter."
It's an opinion likely shared by many following Davis' UFC Fight Night 24. Workmanlike in nature, Davis grinded away for the victory but was rather unspectacular in any one particular aspect of the fight.
His vaunted wrestling attack was completely nullified in the opening round, as he went unsuccessful on four takedown attempts according to a CompuStrike report. He redeemed himself by going two of three in each of the final two frames, but the incredible top game he showed in each of his previous UFC wins wasn't there against the crafty Nogueira.
"I don't like missing takedowns," Davis said. "That's what I do, and I don't like to miss that. I could use a little bit better top control. I didn't have the control that I did in the last couple of fights."
Davis' striking, while improved, still appeared relatively rudimentary. His kicking game showed the most improvement, and he landed 16 such blows over the course of the fight. Nogueira had a few shining moments as he looked to counter "Mr. Wonderful," but Davis enjoyed a 42-18 edge in overall successful strikes.
Davis admitted he's still working on rounding out his game.
"I'm just working on everything," Davis said. "My teammates are real good about making sure to mix it up with me and give me different looks all the time in practice.
"Really, I haven't gotten to the point where I perform in a fight like I do in practice. That's something the best athletes are ready to do. Once I get better, you'll see a lot more variety and a lot more out of me."
And he'll need more if he hopes to topple the seemingly invincible Jones.
Former champion Evans is up next for Jones. As for Davis, only time will tell. A much-needed break may be the best option for the young talent.
As long as he remains unbeaten, Davis will inevitably be linked to Jones. And while a relatively lackluster win on Saturday night will certainly slow the bandwagon down just a bit, it's unlikely to grind to a complete halt.
That's OK, said Davis. Give him a little time to rev up the horsepower, and the wagon will continue to gain steam.
"I like that people bring me up when Jon Jones comes up," Davis said. "But I don't want to be walking in his shadow, either. Then people have the same expectations for me as they have for him. We have different styles. He's his own fighter, and I'm my own.
"I'm a young guy, and I'm coming up. When you don't have as much experience, you'll see a little bit less in the fight. But we're working."
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