Marcus Davis Delights Irish Fans with Decision Win

Welterweights Marcus Davis and Chris Lytle promised fireworks in their UFC 93: Franklin vs Henderson main card opener and they delivered beyond the shadow of a doubt, battling it out for 15 minutes before Davis emerged victorious via a three round split decision.

Scores were 29-28 twice, and 28-29 for Davis, a battler of Irish descent whose post-fight interview was drowned out by the appreciative fans at the O2.

As expected, the two engaged immediately, with Lytle wobbling Davis briefly with a right hand. Quickly recovering, Davis proceeded to move around the Octagon as Lytle stalked. Davis’ kicks and counterpunches were effective as Lytle rushed in. Lytle was undeterred though, and a 1-2 jarred Davis, who came right back and put Lytle down briefly. As the round ended, Lytle’s ribs were reddened by Davis’ kicks, and Davis was bleeding and swollen under his left eye.

The southpaw Davis continued to laterally move around the Octagon to start the second, but Lytle was able to pin him against the fence and open fire with a series of hard hooks. Davis ran his way out of trouble, but he did leave with a cut on his hairline. As the round progressed, Lytle was proving to be the stronger of the two, but Davis’ speed and counters were keeping “Lights Out” honest. In the final minute, Davis started to land more frequently, yet Lytle’s chin would not be dented.

Davis’ thudding kicks kept Lytle from rushing in wildly as the third commenced, and “The Irish Hand Grenade” looked to be growing more confident by the second. Lytle was still trying to get Davis to stand and trade, and as the final two minutes approached, Lytle was getting closer as Davis’ nose bled and left eye started to swell even more, but the Maine native not only held off a late charge from the equally banged up Lytle, he kept throwing until the bell sounded, finishing off a well-deserved victory.

Everything went wrong for Alan Belcher in his middleweight bout against international star Denis Kang except the final 20 seconds, and that’s all that mattered, as he spoiled Kang’s UFC debut with a second round submission victory.

Kang came out of his corner throwing, and his strikes were sharp, frustrating Beclher and leaving an opening for the Vancouver resident to take his foe to the mat. Kang, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, moved confidently while on the ground, but Belcher powered his way back to his feet. It may not have been the wisest move as Kang continued to land accurately before another successful takedown. Kang’s domination on the mat continued as the stanza wound down, but Belcher was able to make it to the bell.

The two battled at close range against the fence to begin the second, but after breaking, Kang got back to teeing off at long range and then following up with a takedown. And though Kang was in control of the bout, all it takes is one mistake, and the PRIDE veteran made it, allowing Belcher to sink in a guillotine choke that ended the bout via tap out at 4:36 of the second round.

Middleweights Rousimar Palhares and Jeremy Horn showed off some solid groundwork in their bout, but Palhares proved himself to be the better fighter on this night as he scored a shutout three round decision over Horn.

Scores were 30-27 for Brazil’s Palhares, who injured his right hand in the first round.