ALFIE DAVIS hopes to kick start a serious run at the lightweight top-10 in his long-awaited return from injury.
The Axe Man finally returns to action after nearly a year on the sidelines early tomorrow morning at Bellator 298 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
BELLATORBrit Alfie Davis returns to action at Bellator 298 this evening[/caption]
INSTAGRAM@ALFIERONALDDAVISA debilitating hamstring injury has kept the London Shootfighters star sidelined for most of the year[/caption]
BELLATORBut he’s fighting fit and raring to kick start a run to lightweight contention[/caption]
A debilitating hamstring injury has made most of 2023 a year to forget for 31-year-old Davis, who is still one of the UK’s top prospects in the sport.
But he plans to lay the foundations for a run at Bellator’s elite 155-pounders in style with a trademark emphatic victory against Aalon Cruz.
The London Shootfighers standout told SunSport: “I feel good now, I’m in a good place.
“I had some time to get myself, not just physically, but mentally back in a good place. So I’m raring to go.”
Sitting on the sidelines and watching the division move on was a hard psychological pill to swallow for life-long athlete Davis.
“It was annoying because you can’t really do anything,” he said. “I could lift some weights on my upper body.
“But going from someone that trains twice a day six times a week to not doing anything was annoying.”
They say every cloud – injury-created ones included – has a silver lining.
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And for Davis, that was getting to spend more time with his kids – even if it came in the midst of an existential crisis.
“There were pros and cons to it,” Davis said. “I got to spend a little bit more time with the kids. That was the pros.
“But definitely the cons was I think my whole identity is MMA fighting.
“So it was basically taken away from me for a while.”
Ever the student of the fight game, Davis used his extensive and gruelling rehab to further immerse himself and study different elements of the sport.
And to say he’s excited to implement the fruits of his labour would be an understatement.
He said: “I took some time to study martial arts a bit more in-depth, which I don’t always get to do, while I was rehabbing the hamstring.
“So I want to get in the cage and show everyone what I’ve been working on the last year.”
Davis will be chasing his first consecutive wins in Bellator in a little over four years against the durable and well-rounded Cruz.
He said of the American: “He’s a good fighter.
INSTAGRM@ALFIERONALDDAVISAlfie Davis used his injury-enforced hiatus to spend with his kids[/caption]
BELLATORAlfie Davis will be looking to pick up his first back-to-back wins in nearly four years[/caption]
ALAMYAmerican Aalon Cruz will welcome Davis back to the cage[/caption]
“As you know, he’s on a three-fight win streak, he fought in the UFC and had some bad luck in the UFC.
“He’s definitely got some skills, he’s athletic – so he’s going to be a tough test.
“But I think I match him not just stylistically, but athletically very well.
“I think his style is going to fall into my game plan.
“He’s going to want to grapple and I’m going to punch him around the cage. I’m looking forward to it.”
Putting together a streak is well and truly at the forefront of Davis’ mind ahead of his long-awaited return to the cage, which he forsees ending in dramatic fashion.
BELLATORAlfie Davis can’t wait to experience that winning feeling again[/caption]
He said: “I feel like I’m gonna knock him out.
“I’ve not felt that way in a while because I’ve been going to a decision a lot.
“But for some reason, I’ve just got it in my head that I’m going to knock him out.
“I can definitely see some openings – he’s very open when he comes forward.
“So I can feel like I’m going to land something big on him.
“I feel like it’ll be in the second round.”