Bangor’s Davis in bout on Spike UFC competitor seeks 7th straight

Local fight fans will have more than a passing interest in tonight’s Ultimate Fighting Championship Fight Night program on the Spike television network.

Bangor native Marcus Davis will try for a seventh straight win as he takes on fellow UFC Ultimate Fighter series alumnus Shonie Carter in a co-feature at a Marine Corps Air Station Miramar hangar in San Diego. Spike’s live coverage begins at 8 p.m.

Three thousand Marines will watch the 33-year-old Davis, a former professional boxer with a 22-1-2 record, take a 15-4 UFC record into a three-round bout against Carter (66-13-7). Both weigh 170 while Davis is 5-foot-10 and Carter is 5-9.

“I think it will come down to game plan and conditioning,” said Davis. “I have a real solid game plan and I’m in the best shape of my life. I know fighters always say that, but I AM in THE best shape of my life.”

Davis is earning $5,000 to fight. He will pocket another $5,000 if he wins and $15,000 on top of that if he knocks out Carter or beats him by submission. If UFC officials judge his fight to be the “fight of the night”, he will earn another $15,000.

Only 18 months ago, Davis appeared to be all through with UFC fighting after being eliminated from the second season of UFC Ultimate Fighter’s reality TV series in the fourth episode.

“I didn’t take much away from the UFC series other than being ultimately humiliated,” said Davis. “After that I could either quit or start all over again and develop my game.”

Davis took five months off while healing and rehabilitating a separated shoulder and broken clavicle he suffered on the show after being dropped on his shoulder. During that time he started training in Somerville, Mass., and learning Maui Thai boxing from Mark Dellagrotti.

“There have been different breakthrough moments, but the big one was how I learned to move myself on the ground,” Davis explained. “I learned the ground game, how to move better and become more elusive when I’m on my back… Not just getting on my feet but submitting people from that position.”

Davis went on his win streak after that, winning five of his six fights by submission and upsetting Forrest Petz as a 4-to-1 underdog.

“My buddy bet $100 on me and won $416,” Davis said.

A win tonight will be worth a lot more for Davis.

“It means getting back some pride I lost from that TV show,” Davis said. “It’s something that could secure my future too, whether it’s in the UFC or my training business [Team Irish Mixed Martial Arts in Bangor].”