Mike Davis is set to return to the Octagon on Saturday against Nurullo Aliev after nearly a year without a matchup. Davis, a 12-3 lightweight, said the first name on the table was Nurullo Aliev and that he simply wanted a chance to fight again.
“I’ve never said no. I literally just want to fight. I’ve waited a year for a name, and now that I finally get one, if I say no, what are the chances I wait more? Whoever it is, I got to go,” Davis said. “Mentally, it’s frustrating.”
Mike Davis and Mitch Ramirez
Davis said he was “a little slow” in his most recent victory over Mitch Ramirez and felt he was conserving a lot of energy. That is part of why this return carries more weight than a routine booking: Davis has spent nearly a year waiting for an opponent while trying to stay active enough to keep his place moving forward.
“I know I’m not the healthiest individual. I’m cursed with internal disorders and all this nonsense that makes it really hard for me to stay healthy enough to fight as often. But I am healthy enough to fight the majority of the year, and I’m just waiting for names,” Davis said. He said the layoff has been mentally frustrating, but it also left him with a cleaner read on what he wants to change.
Nurullo Aliev on Saturday
Nurullo Aliev enters unbeaten at 11-0, and Davis said he is not giving the matchup extra weight beyond the fight itself. “It was the first name that was thrown on the table,” Davis said. “I don’t think it’s too valuable.”
Davis added that he expects his reads to sharpen quickly once the opening exchange settles. “After maybe the first 20 seconds, I’m kind of in the rhythm of what you’re going to do and how you’re going to fight me,” he said. “Then we just go from there.”
That is why Davis said he wants a looser approach this time. “Maybe this time, let go a little more and see what happens,” he said, after describing how he felt too conservative against Mitch Ramirez. The Saturday booking gives Davis the chance to test that adjustment immediately, against an unbeaten opponent and after a long stretch with no matchup on the schedule.
