Phil Davis Q&A on Fight Night Jaragua

Q.   Since your fight with Lyoto Machida in Brazil what have you been up to?

A.    I have been training, working on new thing, and preparing to become a better fighter.  

Q.    Preparing to fight someone like Lyoto Machida is no easy task. What must Gegard Mousasi do to start off strong? 

A.    Mousasi needs to come out and establish his range very quickly. You pretty much have to tackle him [Lyoto Machida] from the start, and throw some big punches early on to establish control. 

Q.    Can you give any advice on fighting in Brazil and how a visiting fighter can maintain composure in such a hostile environment? 

A.    Without question you need to have a great game plan. It needs to be well understood because there is a good chance you won’t be able to hear your coaches once the fight starts. In between rounds, when you’re when your coaches are talking you really have to listen to what they are telling you to do. 

Q.    Your prediction for Machida vs. Mousasi? 

A.    I’m a firm believer that once you defeat someone you should wish them the best of luck moving forward. Machida is a riddle he’s extremely hard to figure out. It’s not that Mousasi can’t beat him I don’t know if he will come out with the right game plan. I expect a great fight but I’m going to give the upper hand to Machida in this one. 

Q.    It was recently announced that you will be fighting Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in the co-main event of UFC 172. What do you know about Johnson? Do you think this is a good matchup for you? 

A.    I think anyone is a good fight for me. I know Johnson is heavy handed he has good punches and kicks too. They don’t call him rumble for nothing. 

You can check out UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Mousasi Saturday, February 15th.