Tonight one of the most successful female Canadian mixed martial artists will step into to the Strikeforce cage for the very first time, and chances are you’ve never heard of her.
But with the exposure that being on a big card such as the co-promoted Strikeforce / M-1 Global – Fedor vs. Henderson, Port Colborne, Ontario’s Alexis Davis (9-4) thinks that that will soon change.
Speaking to MM-eh from Fort Lauderdale, Florida earlier this week, the 26-year-old Davis described her reaction to the offer of fighting Julie Kedzie (16-8) in the world’s second largest MMA promotion.
“How could you say no to that?” she laughed.
Davis runs the Port Colborne location of Dayboll Jiu Jitsu, and has been fighting professionally since 2007. She is the current bantamweight champion of the New York based Raging Wolf organization.
Her last fight was a submission win over Tonya Evinger via rear-naked-choke last November.
“Raging Wolf was very good to me.” She said. “They gave me some good quality opponents, and it was awesome because it’s only a half hour away from home, so all my family and friends could come and watch me fight.”
Davis was hesitant when asked if she felt that the great success of fellow Canadian Sarah Kaufman, widely regarded as one of the best female fighters in the world, has maybe taken away the possibility of the spotlight from her.
“I have, but you know with Strikeforce coming up I think things are going to change. I think the exposure is going to be phenomenal for me.”
The fight tonight with Kedzie is the first of a four-fight contract with Strikeforce, and to prepare for her Davis spent several weeks at World Brazilian Jiu Jitsu champion Pablo Popovich’s BJJ Center in Florida, which she thinks helped her polish off her already strong ground game.
She wanted to make clear that she is taking this opportunity very seriously, although she’s not sure that Kedzie is.
“We’re prepared for a war. I’ve heard rumours that she may be taking me a little bit lightly, but that doesn’t bother me at all. I’m just going to fight my fight and I know what I have to do to win.”
Davis has an idea of how the fight will play out.
“I think she’s going to stand and trade for awhile because I don’t think she’s going to want to go to the ground. I think she’s going to be working a lot to push me against the cage, but I see it ending with a submission.”
Of course being on a fight card with two iconic figures such as Fedor and Henderson, MM-eh would have been remiss had we not asked how for her prediction on their fight.
“It’s going to be a close fight, but I have to say that I’m kinda rooting for Henderson a bit in there. I’m a fan of both of them. It’s hard to say, but I think I want to give Henderson a little bit of the edge. I’ve met him once at the MMA Expo in Toronto and he was such a nice guy.”
It’s never a good idea for a fighter to look too far down the road, for fear of missing the danger that’s in their immediate future. But Davis did mention one thing that she’d like to happen after the fight with Kedzie is over.
“I would love to hold that Strikeforce title.”
Alexis Davis is sponsored by: Clinch Gear and Razor Wear MMA
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