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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Saturday's UFC Fight Night 24 event saw "Mr. Wonderful" Phil Davis pick up the biggest win of his career in a decision over top 10 ranked Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Though Davis got the win, he ran up against an extremely difficult test in Nogueira, and showed that talk last week of him being the challenge for UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones was far too premature.
The fight was fairly even through the first round and a half. Nogueira's takedown defense was superb, and he managed to hold Davis off on multiple attempts through the first eight minutes of the fight. However, Davis stayed busy on the feet, and though he didn't land flush on a ton of shots, the accumulation of kicks in the first round edged it for him on the judges scorecards.
Then, in the second, Davis was finally able to get Nogueira to the ground. He would do that multiple times over the final seven minutes of the fight, but Nogueira's stellar guard wouldn't allow for much damage to be delivered. Ultimately, Davis was able to secure the victory by decision, ultimately out-striking Nogueira 72-16 overall in the fight.
It may not have been the most thrilling victory, and Davis still has a ways to go in his development, but the fact that he was able to accomplish what he did at 26-years-old against a top 10 fighter in Nogueira was still impressive. He's not Jon Jones, and he won't immediately be jumping into the title picture, but he belongs against top competition right now and he proved that on Saturday night.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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