The Film Room: Brandon Davis

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Brandon Davis will step up on short notice to take on uber prospect Zabit Magomedsharipov in a featherweight showcase at UFC 228 on Saturday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. While many have already counted out Davis, he possesses an intriguing skill set that could pose problems for the heavily favored Magomedsharipov.

The latest installment in The Film Room series puts Davis under the microscope.

Davis has been fighting since 2010, but most fans had not heard of him before his incredible battle with Austin Arnett on the first season of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. He proved to be one of the season’s most complete competitors and earned an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract. Davis has endured a rough start to his UFC career -- he has gone 1-2 across three appearances -- but now has a chance to alter his course by upsetting Magomedsharipov.



Those wondering why the UFC picked Davis as a fill-in against Magomedsharipov need only to look at his highlight reel. He has proven to be a relentless striker with a willingness to move forward and absorb damage in order to dish out some of his own; plus, he remains patient and relaxed in the pocket. Variation makes his leading attacks particularly interesting. Davis rarely throws the same combination twice when blitzing forward and mixes up his attacks to the head, body and legs.



Davis’ primary source of success on the feet comes from leg kicks. He will lead and counter with them and generally ends his combinations with a kick to the thigh or calf. These leg kicks cause damage, but Davis mainly uses them to limit the opponent’s movement, making it easier for him to blitz forward and land combinations in the pocket. Something to notice is how he targets his leg kicks. Davis rarely throws standard kicks to the thigh, choosing instead to punish the calf and at times the ankle.



Davis does not only work on the lead. In the few exchanges where he was not the leading attacker, he showed off a slick counter right straight and will occasionally throw an intercepting knee up the middle. Since Magomedsharipov is also an aggressive striker, we might see more countering from Davis than usual. Davis generally does his best countering against fellow orthodox fighters, so do not be surprised to see Magomedsharipov operate out of a southpaw stance to limit his efforts.



Davis has put interesting stance switches and stance-switch feints in the pocket on display. He will throw the right hand while stepping into a southpaw stance and either stick with the southpaw stance or quickly switch back to orthodox. This might not look like much, but it allows him to overwhelm opponents with all the options in each stance. Davis could benefit from striking a little more out of a southpaw stance, but these occasional switches and feints are still effective.



As a striking-based fighter, Davis has struggled with grappling-heavy opponents in the past and seems to lose confidence in his takedown defense as a fight progresses. Against Enrique Barzola, Davis defended the first few takedown attempts with everything he had, but after being taken down a few times, he seemed resigned to the idea that he could no longer defend them. Magomedsharipov is often considered a striking-based fighter, but he has done some of his best work on the ground. If Davis causes him problems on the feet, it would not be out of character for Magomedsharipov to turn this into a grappling match with his wrestling and sambo background.