Marcus Davis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Marcus Davis |
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| Born | August 24, 1973 Houlton, Maine, U.S. |
| Other names | The Irish Hand Grenade |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) |
| Division | Middleweight Welterweight Lightweight |
| Reach | 70 in (178 cm) |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Fighting out of | Bangor, Maine, U.S. |
| Team | Team Sityodtong |
| Rank | Black belt in Choi Shin Do Karate |
| Years active | 2003–2014, 2021 (MMA) 1993–2000 (boxing) |
| Professional boxing record | |
| Total | 20 |
| Wins | 17 |
| By knockout | 12 |
| Losses | 1 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| Draws | 2 |
| Kickboxing record | |
| Total | 2 |
| Losses | 2 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 35 |
| Wins | 23 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| By submission | 10 |
| By decision | 7 |
| Losses | 11 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 4 |
| No contests | 1 |
Marcus Davis, born on August 24, 1973, is an American former professional mixed martial artist and boxer. He is well-known for his time competing in the UFC. Davis was a professional MMA fighter from 2003 until 2021. He also competed in other major organizations like Bellator MMA and the MFC. He was also a contestant on the TV show The Ultimate Fighter 2.
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Early Life and Training
Marcus Davis was born in Houlton, Maine, and grew up in Bangor, Maine. He started learning karate when he was eight years old. When he was 14, he began boxing and had his first amateur match that same year.
Davis became a professional boxer at 18. He had a strong record of 17 wins, 1 loss, and 2 draws over seven years. He mostly fought as a Junior-Middleweight. After a loss in October 2000, he decided to try a new challenge: mixed martial arts.
In 1995, Davis began training in grappling. He later moved back to Bangor and opened his own MMA school. One of his students was Tim Sylvia, who later became a UFC champion. Davis also trained with famous coaches like Mark Dellagrotte and his own team, Team Sityodtong.
Mixed Martial Arts Career
Starting Out in MMA
Marcus Davis began his professional MMA career on August 22, 2003. He won his first fight by TKO (Technical Knockout). Early in his career, he had a record of 3 wins and 2 losses.
Competing in the UFC
In 2005, Marcus Davis joined The Ultimate Fighter 2, a reality TV show where fighters compete for a UFC contract. He was known for his boxing skills. He lost his fight on the show to Joe Stevenson.
After the show, Davis thought about quitting fighting. However, he recovered from a shoulder injury and returned to MMA training. He then had a great comeback, winning 11 fights in a row. He made a successful return to the UFC at Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3: The Final Chapter.
At UFC 75 in London, England, Davis fought Paul Taylor. He was knocked down but recovered and won the fight with an armbar submission. This exciting fight earned him "Fight of the Night" and "Submission of the Night" awards.
His next fight was a memorable knockout win against Jess Liaudin at UFC 80 in Newcastle, England.
Davis then lost a fight to Mike Swick at UFC 85. This ended his six-fight winning streak in the UFC. He quickly bounced back with a submission win over Paul Kelly at UFC 89.
At UFC 93 in January 2009, Davis fought Chris Lytle. Both fighters were former boxers. They had talked about fighting each other for a while. Davis won the fight by a split decision. This fight also earned "Fight of the Night" honors.
On June 13, 2009, Davis fought Dan Hardy. The fight became very personal between them. Hardy made comments about Davis's Irish heritage. Hardy won the fight by a close split decision. Davis was upset with the decision and wanted a rematch.
Davis suffered his first knockout loss to Ben Saunders at UFC 106 in November 2009. He then won his next fight against Jonathan Goulet at UFC 113 by TKO.
Davis lost to Nate Diaz at UFC 118 in August 2010. This fight was also named "Fight of the Night." After this, Davis decided to move down to the Lightweight division (155 pounds). He felt his body was better suited for that weight class.
His last UFC fight was against Jeremy Stephens at UFC 125 in January 2011. Davis was knocked out in the third round. Soon after, the UFC released him.
Fighting After the UFC
After leaving the UFC, Davis signed with the Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC). He won his first fight there against Curtis Demarce. He then defeated Pete Spratt by unanimous decision at MFC 30.
Davis continued to fight in other promotions. He won against Travis Coyle by submission in 2011. He also fought Chuck O'Neil and lost by split decision.
In 2012, Davis tried kickboxing and faced Mark Casserly in Ireland. He lost this fight by knockout. Later that year, he returned to MMA and won against David Bielkheden by unanimous decision.
In 2013, Davis won against Darrius Heyliger. He also made his Bellator debut against Waachiim Spiritwolf. That fight ended in a "no contest" because of an accidental foul. He then lost to Alexander Sarnavskiy in a tournament fight.
In 2014, Davis lost to Ryan Sanders. A comment from his YouTube account suggested he would retire that year. However, he returned to competition in 2021, winning his fight against Stephen Stengel by submission.
Other Activities
Marcus Davis appeared on the wrestling TV show Impact! in 2008. He was shown as a trainer for wrestler Samoa Joe.
In 2010, Davis received an award from the state of Maine. This award recognized his success as a fighter and the attention he brought to Maine and mixed martial arts. Davis also co-hosted a weekly radio show called Pull No Punches Radio. He appeared on a TV show called Doomsday Preppers as an MMA instructor.
Personal Life
Marcus Davis has been married three times and has four children. His family originally comes from Waterford, Ireland. Besides fighting, Davis has managed bars and nightclubs. He also used to work as a bouncer.
Awards and Achievements
Mixed Martial Arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Knockout of the Night (One time) vs. Jason Tan
- Submission of the Night (One time) vs. Paul Taylor
- Fight of the Night (Three times) vs. Paul Taylor, Chris Lytle and Nate Diaz
- UFC.com Awards
- 2007: Ranked #10 Fighter of the Year (Tied with Kenny Florian) & Ranked #4 Submission of the Year vs. Paul Taylor
Images for kids
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Marcus Davis at UFC 80
