The lightweight division of the UFC, already packed with the best fighters in the world, has gotten even deeper with the blazing come-up of prospects such as Mike Davis. Davis is a warrior in and outside the octagon, as he has been battling far before he stepped foot in the world of combat.
Coming up as a disaffected kid from New York who faced bullying on a daily basis, Davis effectively took his life into his own hands and turned it around. Nonetheless, he recently opened up about his love for a video game that was his way of escaping from traumatic experiences in his childhood.
Mike Davis opens up about childhood bullying issues
Following his latest win against Natan Levy, Davis provided a painful insight into his childhood in the post-fight conference. He talked about the horrors he faced as a black kid growing up in upstate New York. He said, “When I grew up as a kid – I’m from upstate New York. As you can probably guess, there’s not a lot of Black people, so I got picked on a lot,” Davis explained. “I was also really small, like a tiny child. So, I got stuffed in lockers, called names, got picked up and put in the basketball – bro, I got picked on.”
He explained the toll it all had on him, confessing how he turned to self-harm as a means to find relief within all the grim he was surrounded with. But later on, Davis spoke about the importance of video games and how they saved him by giving him an escape from reality each time he played. He especially praised the popular game ‘Halo’, saying, “I met friends. I met friends in the area, I met friends across the globe. Every day, the only thing that made me want to keep going was to jump on Halo and play with my friends.”
After how remarkably Davis fought through it all and changed his life, he claimed how some of his bullies have come up to him and shown remorse for their actions.
Mike Davis scaling LW ladder with UFC Vegas 88 win
Despite all he’s gone through, Davis has chosen to dedicate his entire being to excelling as high as he can, and that is the exact trajectory he’s on. He has now accumulated one of the longest active win streaks in the 155-pound division with 5 consecutive wins. In his recent outing, Davis walked through Natan Levy and finished him in the second round. As the fight began, Davis immediately dropped Levy and tried to submit him in the first round itself. Levy survived the onslaught and was able to drag the fight onto the second round, but not to much avail. As the round began, Davis took Levy to the ground and secured a stunning arm triangle finish.
Fighters like Mike Davis and the stories of how they have come up helps inspire millions around the world, most notably the youth who need it. Some of them might be going through the same situations Davis has had to endure, but have surely felt a sense of hope knowing if people like Mike Davis can come out of that life better than ever, then they can as well.
