‘Joker in the pack’ Davis plots Nurmagomedov downfall

There was a time when Alfie Davis would have been nervous about fighting Usman Nurmagomedov.

Spearheaded by Usman’s cousin Khabib, the Nurmagomedov family and affiliated fighters in Russia form arguably the most dominant team in mixed martial arts history.

Khabib and close friend Islam Makhachev’s reputations as two of the finest UFC champions of all time are already cemented, and they mentor Nurmagomedov – who is carving his own path to greatness.

Unbeaten in 21 fights and the current PFL lightweight title holder, 27-year-old Nurmagomedov will defend his belt against Britain’s Davis in Dubai on Saturday.

Davis has not always believed in himself, making the prospect of fighting someone like Nurmagomedov daunting. But his win against Gadzhi Rabadanov in August showed he can overcome the odds again.

“Now I’ve beaten one of the best guys in the world I can assure myself it’s doable,” Davis told BBC Sport.

“Usman’s 20-0 and everyone thinks I’m going to lose. So I’m like the joker in the pack.

Davis’ win over Rabadanov was the biggest of his 12-year career, with the 33-year-old securing a $500,000 (£369,000) victory prize.

On the plane journey back to the UK, Davis remembers holding his championship belt and having a moment to reflect on his “surreal journey”.

He recalls chatting to some American women at the airport in North Carolina before boarding his flight, and they were asking him about his title and googling his name.

“It was funny because it was like a scene out of a movie really,” said Davis.

“I was just there with this belt and had just won a load of money, it was a celebrity moment.”

Davis says the win has been “life changing” and he has been able to buy a bigger house for his wife and two children with the prize money.

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib – who retired in 2020 after winning all 29 of his fights – has referred to Davis as a “dangerous fighter”.

The Briton says he is unsure if Khabib is praising him to hype up the bout or to ground Nurmagomedov – who he describes as an “arrogant individual”.

“I’ve had it before – if you’re over confident you underperform, so I think Khabib is trying to make Usman not as confident,” said Davis.

“Equally, it is good to get praise from Khabib.”

Davis beat Rabadanov by landing the more damaging strikes when the fighters were on their feet, but spent the best part of two rounds being out-wrestled.

Although Nurmagomedov opts to strike more than many of his team-mates and coaches, Davis is expecting him to rely on his Dagestan-famed grappling.

“He’s very tricky, he’s quite a puzzle. It’s been a thinking camp,” said Davis.

“Some fighters you have to work harder for. With him I’ve had to really study what he does and work out counters for it.

“I’ve had to think about what he could do, but equally remind myself he’s only human.”

Like the fight against Rabadanov, Davis is going into the bout as a heavy underdog but it’s a position he thrives in.

“People feel like Gadzhi lost the fight and I didn’t win it, but if you watch it back it’s not that at all – he was trying to win but couldn’t,” said Davis.