La Carvas Rashad Davis (born October 28, 1980) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who most recently competed in the

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...

division of

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...

. A professional competitor since 2006, Davis has also formerly competed for the Quad Cities Silverbacks in the IFL,

Affliction Entertainment Affliction Entertainment was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company created by Affliction Clothing in 2008. The UFC prohibited its fighters from wearing Affliction clothing after learning Affliction was applying to become an MMA ...

Titan FC Titan Fighting Championship (Titan FC) is an American mixed martial arts promotion based out of Pompano Beach, Florida. Their shows were originally run in and near Kansas City and have since expanded to include venues all over North America and e ...

, and the WEC.

Early life and education

Born and raised in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, Davis competed in high school wrestling and was talented, going on to continue his wrestling career at Labette Community College and

Missouri Valley College Missouri Valley College is a private college that is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Marshall, Missouri, United States. The college was founded in 1889 and supports 40 academic majors and an enrollment close to 1,500 ...

. After graduating college, Davis began training in mixed martial arts.

MMA career

Davis made his MMA debut in 2006, defeating Nick Wright in VFC 12. His professional MMA career has made him retire from a steady job as a wrestling coach at Pratt Community College, moving to the

Quad Cities The Quad Cities is a region of five cities (originally Tri-Cities, later four, see #History, History) in the U.S. states of Iowa and Illinois: Davenport, Iowa, Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, Bettendorf (the fifth to be included) in southeaster ...

to train under

Pat Miletich Patrick Jay Miletich (; born March 9, 1968) is a retired Americans, American mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and former sports commentator. He is known for his fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he became the first UFC W ...

at his Mixed Martial School. He has competed for the Featherweight Grand Prix title, but there he suffered the first loss of his professional career, to

Wagnney Fabiano Wagnney Silva Fabiano-Santos (born July 14, 1975) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He is best known for fighting in the WEC, as well as for the Toronto Dragons of the International Fight League and is the former IFL Featherweight Champion ...

. In 2008, Davis was intended to debut in

WEC 35 ''WEC 35: Condit vs. Miura'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on August 3, 2008 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Paradise, Nevada. The event drew an estimated 423,000 viewers on Versus. The ...

as a replacement to the injured

Cub Swanson Kevin Luke "Cub" Swanson (born November 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight (MMA), Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2004, S ...

, who broke his hand at training. He was supposed to fight against

Hiroyuki Takaya Hiroyuki Takaya (Japanese: 高谷裕之, ''Takaya Hiroyuki'', born June 10, 1977) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2003, Takaya has fought in the WEC, Strikeforc ...

, but the fight was cancelled for unspecified reasons.

World Extreme Cagefighting

Davis made his WEC debut against fellow WEC newcomer Javier Vazquez on August 9, 2009 at

WEC 42 ''WEC 42: Torres vs. Bowles'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on August 9, 2009, at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background Kenji Osawa was originally scheduled to face Rani Yahya at th ...

. He won via split decision. He returned to the WEC only four months later, defeating previously unbeaten Diego Nunes via unanimous decision at

WEC 44 WEC may stand for: Organizations * Westinghouse Electric Company, a multinational company supplying nuclear services, fuel, and power plants * Wisconsin Elections Commission, an agency that enforces election laws in Wisconsin * Wisconsin Energy ...

. A victory which was also considered a major upset, Nunes was a 3 to 1 favorite coming into the bout. On March 6, 2010, Davis defeated

Deividas Taurosevičius Deividas Taurosevičius (born August 28, 1977) is a Lithuanian retired mixed martial artist who last competed in the Featherweight division. A professional competitor from 2002 until 2013, he competed for the WEC, Bellator, the Cage Fury Fight ...

via majority decision at

WEC 47 ''WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on March 6, 2010. It was held at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio Background The only WEC event held in Ohio, WEC 47 coincided with the Arnold ...

, Thus solidifying his name as a top 10 contender in the WEC featherweight division. In his fourth WEC outing, Davis fought top contender

Josh Grispi Josh Richard Grispi (born October 14, 1988) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2006 until 2014, he has competed for the UFC and WEC. Background Grispi, a talented hockey player, was kicked ou ...

WEC 49 ''WEC 49: Varner vs. Shalorus'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on June 20, 2010 at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Background WEC 49 was the only event the organization had held outsi ...

. In the first round of the fight, Grispi sunk in a deep guillotine choke as Davis was shooting for a takedown. Grispi managed to choke Davis unconscious and was declared the winner via technical submission. Davis looked to bounce back from his previous defeat by taking on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt

Raphael Assunção Raphael Assunção (born 19 July 1982) is a Brazilian former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Born in Recife in Northeast Brazil, Assunção move ...

. The fight took place on November 11, 2010 at

WEC 52 ''WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on November 11, 2010 at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas. Background Urijah Faber made his bantamweight debut against Japanese striker Takeya ...

. Davis lost via unanimous decision. For the first time in his WEC career Davis was the favorite coming into the fight. After losing his second straight fight Davis was released from Zuffa following the UFC/WEC merger.

Independent promotions

In September 2008, Davis signed a year-long three-fight non-exclusive contract with Affliction, Davis made his Affliction debut on January 24, 2009 where he defeated journeyman

Bao Quach Bao Quach (born September 4, 1979) is an American featherweight professional mixed martial artist who has fought for Bellator, Affliction, M-1 Global, EliteXC, Strikeforce, World Extreme Cagefighting, King of the Cage, and Shooto promotions. ...

by unanimous decision after a back and forth fight. His contract was later terminated after the company closed. Davis has been announced as a participant in

World Victory Road World Victory Road (WVR) was a Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) organization which promoted the Sengoku Raiden Championship (SRC) in Japan. The organization was formed in 2007 following the purchase of PRIDE FC by Zuffa. It operated in conjunct ...

's Featherweight

Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...

. In the first round of the tournament Davis was upset and thoroughly defeated by

Michihiro Omigawa is a retired Japanese mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, judoka and submission wrestling, submission grappler, who mainly competed in the Featherweight (MMA), Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2005, Omigawa competed ...

via unanimous decision. After his release from the WEC, Davis returned home to Kansas City to work on his training where he eventually decided to drop down to the bantamweight division. Davis made his bantamweight debut on May 25, 2012 at Titan Fighting Championships 22 against Bill Kamery. Davis defeated Kamery in the second round via TKO putting him back in the win column for first time in over two years. Davis defeated Jacob Akin on February 22, 2013, at Kansas City Fighting Alliance 5 via TKO due to punches in round one. Davis defeated Dominic Blanco on March 30, 2013, at Victory Fighting Championship 39 via TKO due to a liver kick in round one. Davis defeated James Saville on June 29, 2013, at GWC: The British Invasion via unanimous decision.

Bellator MMA

Davis made his debut with

on March 21, 2014 at Bellator 113. He faced Tory Bogguess and won via guillotine choke submission in the closing seconds of the first round. Davis next faced promotional newcomer Zeilton Rodrigues at Bellator 124 on September 12, 2014. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Davis faced

Hideo Tokoro Hideo Tokoro (born August 22, 1977) is a Japanese mixed martial artist who last competed in the Bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2000, Tokoro has also formerly competed for Vale Tudo Japan, ZST, Shooto, Rings and K-1 He ...

at Bellator 135 on March 27, 2015. He won the back-and-forth fight via split decision. He still went on to do the interview after he broke his jaw. Davis faced the former Bellator Bantamweight Champion, Joe Warren in the main event of

Bellator 143 2015 in Bellator MMA was the seventh year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 16 events in 2015. Background In June 2014, Founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney parted with the company. ...

on September 25, 2015. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. On February 20, 2018 it was announced that Bellator had released Davis from the promotion. Davis is currently teaching and coaching wrestling for Pittsburg High School. He has two sons and one daughter with wife, Kylie Shepard.

Championships and accomplishments

*Victory Fighting Championship **VFC Bantamweight Championship (One time) *

Yahoo! Sports Yahoo! Sports is a sports news website launched by Yahoo! on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from Stats Perform. It employs numerous writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American major sport. ...

**2015 Best Fight of the Half-Year vs.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 23–8 ,

Marcos Galvão Marcos Galvão (born 23 June 1982) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division of the Professional Fighters League. A professional competitor since 2003, Galvão peaked at a global ranking ...

, Decision (split) , Bellator 166 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Thackerville, Oklahoma Thackerville is a town in Love County, Oklahoma, United States. It is located near the Texas state border. The population was 400 at the 2020 census. Geography Thackerville is situated near the intersection of U.S. Highway 77 and State High ...

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Hidalgo, Texas Hidalgo is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. Its population was 11,198 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, and in 2020, the population had risen to 13,964. History The area that is now Hidalgo was first settled by Spanis ...

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Plymouth Township, Michigan Plymouth Township is a charter township in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A western Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Plymouth Township is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit, and northeast of Ann ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–6 , Tory Bogguess , Submission (guillotine choke) , Bellator 113 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:58 ,

Mulvane, Kansas Mulvane is a city in Sedgwick and Sumner counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,286. History Mulvane was laid out in 1879 at the junction of five Santa Fe rail lines. It is named for ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–6 , Ryan Roberts , Decision (split) , Victory Fighting Championship 41 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Ralston, Nebraska Ralston is a city in Douglas County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,494 at the 2020 census. A suburb of Omaha, Ralston is surrounded on three sides by the city of Omaha (84th, 72nd, and L Streets), and by the county line of Sa ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–5 , James Saville , Decision (unanimous) , GWC: The British Invasion: U.S. vs. U.K. , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–5 , Dominic Blanco , TKO (liver kick) , Victory Fighting Championship 39 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:44 ,

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–5 , Jacob Akin , TKO (punches) , Kansas City Fighting Alliance 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:18 ,

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–5 , Bill Kamery , TKO (punches) , Titan FC 22 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:59 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–5 , Christian Uflacker , Decision (split) , Hoosier Fight Club 10 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Valparaiso, Indiana Valparaiso ( ), colloquially Valpo, is a city in and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 34,151 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. History The site of present-day Valparaiso ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–3 ,

, Technical Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:33 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2 ,

, Decision (majority) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 , Diego Nunes , Decision (unanimous) ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 , Javier Vazquez , Decision (split) ,

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, Decision (unanimous) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 7 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Affliction: Day of Reckoning , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 , Billy Kidd , Submission (bulldog choke) , Adrenaline MMA 2: Miletich vs. Denny , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:52 ,

Moline, Illinois Moline ( ) is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. With a population of 42,985 in the 2020 census, it is the largest city in Rock Island County and the List of municipalities in Illinois, ninth-most populous in Illinois outside ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Josh Bernal , TKO (punches) , Conquest FC 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:07 ,

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Rafael Dias , KO (head kick) , IFL: New Jersey , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:56 ,

East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an inner suburb, inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2020 Unit ...

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, Submission (armbar) , IFL: World Grand Prix Finals , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:38 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

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Conor Heun Conor Heun (born February 11, 1979) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional from 2006 until 2012, he competed for Strikeforce, EliteXC, and the Los Angeles Anacondas of the International Fight League. Mixed martial arts care ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Dan Sullivan , TKO (punches) , Titan FC 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:18 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Jay Estrada , Submission (guillotine choke) , IFC: Chicago , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:33 ,

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , George Henderson , TKO (submission to punches) , Titan FC 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:10 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , John T. Smith , TKO (punches) , Titan FC 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:36 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Tim Gorman , Submission (guillotine choke) , Titan FC 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:52 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Mike Lindquist , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Titan FC 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:13 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Ace Anderson , TKO (submission to punches) , Titan FC 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:52 ,

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeastern Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 cen ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Nick Wright , TKO (punches) , VFC 12: Warpath , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 62,799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, te ...

, United States ,

References

External links

* * https://web.archive.org/web/20090108212331/http://www.mmamadness.com/fighter/3945 * Gym Website: https://web.archive.org/web/20111213125703/http://www.highdavismma.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Lc Living people American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Kansas Featherweight mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing freestyle wrestling 1980 births Sportspeople from Kansas City, Kansas Missouri Valley College alumni

Early life and education

MMA career

World Extreme Cagefighting

Independent promotions

Bellator MMA

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links