MMA fighter Joey Davis took a self-imposed break to improve his skills and is now set to compete at Bellator 293.
After an impressive 8-0 record in his first four years of MMA competition, Joey Davis unexpectedly disappeared from the scene following his last fight in 2020. As a four-time Division II National Champion in wrestling, the 29-year-old fighter seemed to have all the necessary components to eventually become a Bellator MMA champion. Just as he appeared ready to transition from prospect to genuine title challenger, Davis decided to take a voluntary break from the sport. This decision wasn’t due to injury or any other situation outside the cage, but rather a desire to improve his skills before his next fight, scheduled for Bellator 293 on Friday.
“I really wanted [the time off],” Davis said. “Just to see how much I can develop. I really wanted to work on my craft and just to get really as better as much as I can. Just taking my time and enjoying the little things in life, as much as possible.” Davis continued, “I wanted to get better at every aspect in my skills. I think that it’s important to sit back, get your mind right and just see what it is that’s really going to make you better. There’s a lot of things that I want to improve on and I just hope that all of my practice and everything I’ve been doing is going to get me very prepared for Friday night.”
In the nearly three years away from the ring, Davis has been focused on refining his skills and getting ready for this moment. He has been consistently training with the Bodyshop team in California, which includes ex-Bellator featherweight champion A.J. McKee among its members. Davis has been helping his training partners prepare for fights while quietly enhancing his own arsenal. “That was the goal — it’s to shock the world,” he said. “These are the things you have to do. Sit back and just dial up on everything. Everything that you can possible. It’s extremely important. That’s exactly what the plan is. Everything I took the time for is so I could go out there and just be sharp. To be like all the greats that were in front of me. That’s what I want to do.”
Davis believes that he is now more focused and determined than ever before, and is excited to see the results of his hard work on Friday. He doesn’t have a set number of fights that he wants this year, nor does he have a specific timeline for reaching title contention. However, he is grateful for the time he’s had to train, prepare, and ultimately become a better fighter. “I’m very dangerous. I’m telling you, I’m so hard to beat and just a hard opponent to go against for anybody. You’ve got to worry about so much going against me now,” Davis stated confidently.