I'm not another Lay-and-Pray Fighter | Thebigtip

By Ben Fowlkes @ MMA Fighting

Becoming an NCAA wrestling champ and four-time All-American at Penn State prepared Phil Davis (7-0) well for a career in mixed martial arts, but there is one thing that surprised him when he went from the wrestling mats to the cage.

"When you're at home watching the UFC and you see a guy get elbowed in the face, you think, Oooh, that poor guy, he just got elbowed in the face," Davis told MMA Fighting. "But I'm here to tell you, that hurts your elbow. You don't think it would, but it hurts your elbow. When you calm down, stop sweating, get your shower and change, you will think, Man, my elbow really hurts. I'm telling you. It's surprising."

In his two years as a pro, the undefeated Davis has had plenty of experience with being the one who delivers those elbows.

Being on the receiving end is still something he's mostly unfamiliar with during his time in the cage, which might help explain his answer when you ask if he ever stops to consider what his opponents' faces must feel like when he's busy icing his elbow.

"No...well, you know...no. I don't," he laughed. "I'll have to ask next time."

Next time for Davis will be this Saturday night, when he takes on another former collegiate wrestler in Tim Boetsch (12-3) at UFC 123 in Detroit, Mich. Davis has no problem admitting that Boetsch will probably be the best wrestler he's faced in the UFC. "The Barbarian" wrestled at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, only about 30 miles from Davis' alma mater, and Davis said it helps him to know what he should expect out of Boetsch.

"He's what I like to call a typical Pennsylvania guy: tough as nails, strong as heck, and he won't quit. So what are you going to do?"

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