LC Davis is a world-traveled fighter, having gone from Titan FC to WEC, all the way to Sengoku. But on March 27th, a man rarely seen outside the "Land of the Rising Sun" comes to Oklahoma to face him in Bellator MMA.
The dividing line is razor thin between calling LC Davis a "former UFC fighter" and not, but alas, the WEC veteran did not stay under the ZUFFA umbrella after the promotion was merged with UFC and his name, at least to casual fight fans, became a fading memory.
With a 22-6 record under his belt and no defeats in Bellator, Davis has few complaints. He's been all around the world as a fighter, having even competed in World Victory Road's Sengoku 7 in Japan, but he fights largely in the United States.
The same cannot be said of his opponent on March 27th in Thackerville, Oklahoma. Hideo Tokoro's only other fight in the U.S. took place at K-1 Hero's: Dynamite!! USA way back in 2007, a memorable armbar submission win over Brad Pickett.
Davis talked to MMAmania.com about facing the always-dangerous and highly-experienced MMA veteran Tokoro at Bellator 135 this Friday night on Spike TV.
"I like the fact that (Tokoro) is well known in Japan, and that he's a veteran in the sport, and I look to welcome him to America with a good, old-fashioned ass kicking."
Even though that's been the story with six out of the last seven fights for Davis, he feels that even his two wins in Bellator could have been more spectacular, including (surprisingly) his first-round submission of Tory Bogguess.
"I ended up being the swing bout, I was the blackout fight, I fought after the main event. I had to warm up three or four times for that fight. I warmed up, cooled down, warmed up, cooled down, it really just kind of zapped my energy so I felt a little flat in that fight. I was happy to get the finish, but I just want to go out there and showcase my talents. I haven't really showed Bellator the complete package, so I'm hoping I can do that this next fight."
Davis gets an ideal showcase thanks to a late injury to Mike "The Marine" Richman, which elevated this fight from the Spike.com prelims to the main card on Spike TV.
"Everything happens for a reason, my time is now. I got really lucky. One man's misfortune, the injury to Richman, ended up being a blessing for me. I'm looking to take advantage of it."
Davis got the good break this time, but he didn't get it when his WEC contract was not carried over to UFC, although his "everything happens for a reason" philosophy helps Davis see the silver lining in it.
"I feel like I'm one of the best 135-pounders in the world, so them not having me on their roster is definitely their loss, and Bellator's gain."
Davis feels that he's scouted and prepared well for Tokoro, a 60-fight veteran of MMA, and that he knows how the fight is going to go on March 27th in Thackerville.
"There's little things you've got to do differently for everyone. (Tokoro) is super well-rounded in my opinion, but I think his strength is on the ground. Most of his wins are by submission. I've been working on my submission defense and my overall ground game, that's probably his best chance to win, so that's definitely what I'll be looking out for."
Look out for LC Davis vs. Hideo Tokoro on March 27th, live on Spike TV during Bellator 135: "Warren vs. Galvao." The complete audio of our interview is below, and MMAmania.com will have complete Bellator MMA results and coverage all week long.
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