Issue 046
February 2009
Marcus ‘The Irish Hand Grenade’ Davis may be rising in popularity, but at 35 years of age, the Maine native feels he’s in the twilight of his career, writes Stash Capar.
Despite impressive wins – over Paul Kelly, Jess Liaudin, and Paul Taylor – the welterweight standout doesn’t feel a need to continue competing into his 40s, or even his late 30s for that matter. In fact Davis doesn’t think his body, ruined from over a decade of boxing and alcohol abuse, can handle it.
“I’m not going to be pulling any ‘Randy Coutures’,” says Davis. “I’m not built for that. 14 years of being punched in the head takes its toll – you should see my brain scans! I want to be able to move around when I’m old. I want to be able to hug my kids, and remember their names. I’m not gonna end up like one of those punch-drunk boxers.”
A product of The Ultimate Fighter Season 2, Davis originally entered the UFC as a one-dimensional boxer-turned-mixed martial artist. Since then, his skill set has improved dramatically under the tutelage of Mark Dellagrotte and Team Sityodtong. With a 17-1-2 pro-boxing record and some seriously dangerous hands, Davis is regarded as one of the best boxers in MMA. In the last couple of years he has also proven his versatility on the ground, with armbar, leglock, and guillotine finishes, demonstrating once and for all that you most certainly can teach an old dog new tricks.
The father of three may have entered the sport late in life, but he doesn’t regret it – better late than never. Not only has MMA become his livelihood, but it has also saved him from certain destruction. Davis, a former problem-drinker, credits MMA for pulling him out of the fire and giving him a new purpose in life when he needed it most.
“Before I started TUF my alcohol abuse was really bad,” says Davis. “I started [drinking] when I was 13, and I drank all through school. All the booze in my house was watered down because I kept stealing it. When I was boxing, I worked in nightclubs and drank the entire time. I would get completely smashed before weigh-ins, thinking that as long as I got a few hours sleep before the fight, I’d be fine. I was completely chemically unbalanced. It made me a real dick, with lots of bad social issues.”
Among the many issues was a penchant for violence, which almost landed him behind bars on numerous occasions. “There were two really bad incidents,” says Davis. “The first time I broke a guy’s face. Both his orbital bones around his eyes were smashed. The other time I put a guy into a coma for ten days. When he woke up he had forgotten some basic words and they had to teach him again. After that, I had this moment where I realised everything bad I had ever done was fuelled by alcohol: my marital problems, my fights. I quit, and it’s been four years since I’ve had a drink. I’ve got no desire to drink anymore. I’m a different person.”
Davis has also become a different fighter, as well as a big hit in the UK, where he has fought on five separate occasions. Fans took particular notice of him following two performances in 2007. The first, a short-lived battle against Jason Tan at UFC 72, secured him a ‘KO of the Night’ bonus, while his bout with Paul Taylor at UFC 75 won him both ‘Submission of the Night’ and ‘Fight of the Night’ honours.
For Davis, fighting in the UK has become somewhat synonymous with success. ‘The Irish Hand Grenade’ has developed a liking for Northern England in particular, and is even looking into buying a house in Manchester sometime next year. If all goes well, an MMA gym may eventually be in the works too.
Though most think Davis’s ancestry is purely Irish, he’s also partly Welsh, a fact that infuriates some MMA enthusiasts who see his nickname as somewhat misleading, if not downright gimmicky. After all, how can someone be called ‘The Irish Hand Grenade’ when he’s a third-generation immigrant, born and raised in the USA? Davis is quick to retort.
“Maybe I’m more of a UK mutt,” says Davis. “But I’m very proud of both sides of my family. My dad’s side is Welsh, my mom’s side is Irish. I identify and respect both sides, but more so my mom’s, since my dad left really early on. Yeah, I was born in the US, but I’ve been surrounded by the Irish side of my family my whole life. All the big traditions were there. You should have seen family get-togethers: lots of drinking, lots of fighting with my uncles.”
There’s one thing that Davis seems to treasure more than his roots, and that is his immediate family, specifically his three children. As a dedicated dad, he sees it as his mission to provide them with the best future possible. Unfortunately, that means one with little involvement in MMA. Though his children are fans of the sport, Davis isn’t going to encourage them to become fighters. The Irish Hand Grenade has a very different future in store for them.
“I really push for good education,” says Davis. “My daughter’s gonna go to college without a bill – I’m covering the whole thing. My sons are going to an awesome private school. What they choose to do is up to them, but they’re gonna have a great education, and plenty of career options.”
On January 17th, Davis will face a tough challenge in welterweight gatekeeper Chris Lytle. Like Davis, Lytle is a former professional boxer but also well versed on the mat, presenting the Sityodtong fighter with an interesting stylistic match-up, and one that he’s taking very seriously.
After suffering a loss to Mike Swick last June (ending an eleven-fight win-streak) Davis has re-evaluated his preparatory methods. The native of Maine is approaching his upcoming bout from a new perspective – one that he hopes will give him an upper hand against Lytle.
“At five weeks before the fight, I’m at 179lb,” says Davis. “So I’m almost at weight, way in advance. Usually I’d be walking around at about 185lb. I’m really taking my time and preparing everything. Lytle says he wants to stand with me, but I’m not taking any chances. I’m training a lot of groundwork with Kenny Florian. If he does stand with me, I think we’ll compliment each other’s style. It’ll be a long, bloody war. Neither of us has been knocked out before.”
Known for being an exciting fighter, Davis rarely lets the fans down. While he may never be a UFC welterweight champion, the Sityodtong fighter makes it his mission to entertain the audience and bring them an exciting fight every chance he gets. Chris Lytle shares the same philosophy, meaning that fans can expect their bout to be one for the books.
“I really hope I’m remembered as an exciting fighter,” says Davis. “I want people to see me as someone who brought it all, every time. I think I’ve really got a chance to put on an exciting fight against Lytle. I used to think that my dream fight would be with Gomi, since he’s so flat footed and I could mess around a bit. But now, the more I think and talk about this Lytle fight, the more I think it might be a dream fight. We just match up really well.”
With a maximum of three years until his retirement, Davis is already making plans for his post-MMA career. Training facilities in both America and the UK are on the agenda, as well as possible behind-the-scenes work for the UFC.
“I’ve got all kinds of plans for the future,” says Davis. “I’d love to work as some kind of liaison for the UFC, that’d be ideal. But if not, there are lots of other options. I’ll definitely be involved in MMA but, like I said, there’s no way I’m going to carry on fighting.”
So with three years left, who does Davis hope to face before putting down the four-ounce gloves forever? “There’s not really anyone who I won’t fight,” says Davis. “Ok, maybe BJ Penn. He’s the only fighter that I can say I’ve been amazed and mesmerised by. I wouldn’t want to fight him. But besides Penn? I’ll take on whoever.”
Marcus Davis on…
Georges St Pierre: He’s an unbelievable wrestler, and an unbelievable athlete. He’s the future of MMA.
Matt Hughes: That’s a tricky one. Okay, he’s a legend in the sport.
Jon Fitch: Unbelievably intelligent. He’s got a lot of other skills and a great pedigree. He’s one of these guys who can succeed at whatever he chooses to do.
Jake Shields: A great grappler. What he lacks in stand-up, he makes up for in groundwork.
QUICKFIRE Q&A
If I wasn’t a fighter: I’d probably still be drinking. Most likely running a bar, which really means drunk off my ass, telling other people what to do.
If I had got into MMA earlier: Hmm, who knows?
If I could be one thing: I’d be a really good father.
