5K Exclusive: LC Davis won't leave it up to the judges

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If you've been hearing his name around, but still don't know who he is, here's your chance to find out.

On March 6, LC Davis will take one step closer to title contention when he faces Deividas Taurosevicius at WEC 47. With a 2-0 record in the organization, Davis is looking to cement his name in the featherweight division.

Currently holding a 15-2 MMA record, Davis, who's fighting out of Kansas City, took his first professional fight on two and a half week's notice. Initially going to corner a friend, he was introduced to the promoter who offered him a fight.

Now, getting ready for his 18th career bout, Davis spoke with FiveKnuckles.com about what inspires him, his future plans, and, of course, his upcoming match.

FiveKnuckles.com: Both of your WEC wins have come via decision. What was it like to stand in the center of the cage and hope to hear your name be called.

LC Davis: It was hard. Whenever it goes to the judges, you never know what you're gonna get. It's good to hear them call your name. Especially in my WEC debut. I fought Javier Vazquez, it was a really close fight I didn't really know which way it was going to go. So hearing my name getting called was a great feeling.

FiveKnuckles.com: After either fight, were you ever nervous that your name wasn't going to get called? Did you ever have a doubt?

LC Davis: Yeah. The Javier Vazquez fight probably could have gone either way. I didn't know if I'd won or lost. It was up to the judges. I thought I had done enough to win, but you never know with the judges, you know? I'm not a judge, I'm just a fighter, so I just did my best to win the fight. You never know until they announce your name.

FiveKnuckles.com: Are you looking to finish fights now? Instead of leaving it up to the judges?

LC Davis: Oh yeah, absolutely. I mean, I've always thought of myself as a finisher, but in 2009, I had four decisions. So I'm looking to finish fights. Now that I'm fighting tougher competition, guys aren't as easy to finish, so you're gonna have a few more decisions, but I'm definitely always looking to finish the fight.

FiveKnuckles.com: How did you get into the WEC?

LC Davis: Actually, I was supposed to be fighting for an Affliction show, but the show got canceled for whatever reasons. And the same week, I got a call from the WEC, and my manager worked out the deal and I ended up fighting a week later in the WEC against the same opponent I was supposed to fight for Affliction. So it worked out good.

FiveKnuckles.com: With your two first wins out of the way, it inches you closer to a title shot, hopefully. What do you think you'll have to do to be the number one contender for the belt?

LC Davis: First step is winning my next fight at WEC 47 against Deividas Taurosevicius. We're both 2-0 in the WEC. I guess the winner of this fight will be in contention or be one of the top five guys. So I think winning this fight and maybe winning one more against a big name guy will put my as a top contender.

FiveKnuckles.com: You only have two losses in your career since you started four years ago. How do you feel you've progressed since then?

LC Davis: I like to think I progress with every fight. My goal since I started this has been to be a better fighter every time I fight. Every time I come out there, I want to show the fans and show my opponents different things and different techniques. I want to improve with every fight, so I think I've definitely been progressing throughout my career, and I think come March 6, I'll be the best LC Davis out there.

FiveKnuckles.com: If you could have two rematches with the only two guys to beat you, would you take them, or are you concentrating on the present and fighting in the WEC?

LC Davis: I'd love to have rematches with the guys that beat me, but I'm just taking it one fight at a time. There are tons of tough guys in the WEC at 145, so whatever's placed in front of me, I'm looking for that as my next challenge. And if I happen to get a chance to rematch those guys - great. If not, I've learned from those mistakes and I'm okay either way, you know? If I don't get the rematches, I'm not going to cry about it. But if I do get the rematches, I'd be more than willing to take the fights.

FiveKnuckles.com: Is there anyone in your division in the WEC who you do want to fight, or who you think would be a good match up for you?

LC Davis: I don't wanna call anybody out. There's just so many tough guys in the WEC at my weight. I think 145 in the WEC is loaded. I just want the top guys and continue to win, and keep working my way towards the belt.

FiveKnuckles.com: You have a degree in Exercise Science. What do you plan on doing with that degree when you're finished fighting?

LC Davis: Before I really decided to take fighting seriously and make a career out of it, I was planning on being a personal trainer or something like that. Maybe a strength and conditioning coach. So I think towards the end of my career, I wanna eventually open my own gym and maybe train fighters. I'd like to become like a Pat Miletich or a Randy Couture.

FiveKnuckles.com: And how has working with Miletich and Couture been?

LC Davis: For the past three years, I've trained with Pat Miletich in Bettendorf, Iowa. I just recently moved back home to Kansas City in December. But I still go train with Pat and the guys at Miletich, occasionally. And before my last fight, I started cross-training with Xtreme Couture in Vegas.

FiveKnuckles.com: Speaking of your move... I was watching your video blogs, and I see you're not a fan of snow.

LC Davis: Yeah, yeah! It's funny, I'm from the mid-West, so I guess I should be used to snow. But I've lived in Iowa for the last couple years. And the winters there are twice worse than the winters in Kansas City. So I was excited to move back to Kansas City to get easier winters.

FiveKnuckles.com: How's camp going?

LC Davis: It's going great. I'm in really good shape. I'm right on schedule as far as my strength and conditioning. Everything's been going good.

FiveKnuckles.com: And what are your thoughts on your upcoming fight?

LC Davis: I'm expecting it to be a war. I think Deividas Taurosevicius is a really tough guy. He's really similar to me. We have a similar approach to fighting, similar styles. We both are decent strikers, decent standing up. I think he likes to strike to set up his wrestling, and take them down, using some ground and pound. And that's kinda the same approach that I have. I think it's gonna be a chess match to see who's better at that style. But I see it as a really tough fight. Deividas has never been finished. So I'm looking to be the first guy to finish him, but I really see the fight going on three rounds. And I see we'll beat each other up. So I think it'll be an exciting fight for the fans.

FiveKnuckles.com: Have you ever thought about changing your weight division, or are you comfortable at 145?

LC Davis: I fought a lot at 155 at the beginning of my career because there wasn't a lot of 145-pound opportunities and fights out there. Now, the WEC has really put 145 on the map. There's plenty of fights out there at 145. This is the weight I'm most comfortable fighting at. So, yeah, I plan on staying at 145.

FiveKnuckles.com: What will it mean to you if you get the featherweight belt somewhere down the line?

LC Davis: It'd mean the world to me. It'd be the accomplishment of a lifetime. My dream since I started fighting is to be the best in the world; be the best in my division. So I think that the person that holds the belt in the WEC at 145 is the best in the world at that weight. And right now, that's Jose Aldo. Hopefully, one day, it'll be me. If I am able to accomplish it, it'll be an accomplishment of a lifetime. A dream come true.

FiveKnuckles.com: Jose Aldo is up next against Urijah Faber. How do you see that one going?

LC Davis: I see that being a really exciting fight. I think Urijah Faber will definitely have the edge on wrestling. But I think Aldo is just really dangerous and has a lot of explosive ways of ending fights. And I think he'll end up holding on to the belt and still be a champ after that fight.

FiveKnuckles.com: What have you been training for most in order to win your upcoming fight?

LC Davis: Right now, for this fight, I just have to train in everything. I have to be really well-rounded because my opponent is strong everywhere. I don't really think he's great at one particular aspect, but he's really good at everything. So I've been working on all aspects of mixed martial arts. I've been working my jiu-jitsu, my wrestling, my striking. I've really been pushing my strength and conditioning hard because Deividas is a really strong well-conditioned athlete. So I've been working all aspects of my game so I can go out there and win wherever the fight goes.

FiveKnuckles.com: Are there any fighters that you look up and emulate?

LC Davis: I look up to a lot of guys that I trained with. I started off training with Jens Pulver, Spencer Fisher and Josh Neer. Robbie Lawler and all the guys from Miletich. Some of my favorite fighters are Anderson Silva, Vitor Belfort, Nick Diaz and Georges St. Pierre.

FiveKnuckles.com: What are you like outside the cage?

LC Davis: I'm an outgoing person. I like to hang out with my friends and family. I like to go out and dance. Have a good time. I'm into all sports. I love watching sports. I love watching basketball, football, wrestling. Anything athletic, I love doing.

FiveKnuckles.com: Have you ever played any other sports?

LC Davis: In high school, I played football. I wrestled in high school. Cross country, track. I pretty much played all sports. I enjoy all sports. I played baseball growing up. Sports have always been a part of my life, so I feel blessed that I'm still playing a sport, and training and doing something that I love for a living.

FiveKnuckles.com: What made you chose fighting as opposed to football or basketball or any other sport?

LC Davis: I wrestled in college, and when I got through with my wrestling career, I happened to fall into MMA. I just wanted to try it out to see how I could do. I won a couple fights, and I just got hooked. And so I just kept doing it. Started making a little bit of money and then I focused on it and moved to Iowa and learned from a lot of professional fighters like Jens Pulver, Spencer Fisher - guys that were in the UFC. And just tried to follow after their footsteps. And that lead me to where I am now.