• UFC 131

Liddell would have knocked Carwin out - Davis Jnr

ESPN staff
June 15, 2011
Junior Dos Santos failed to finish Shane Carwin © UFC
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Junior dos Santos should be criticised for failing to knock out Shane Carwin, according to 1976 Olympic gold medallist Howard Davis Jnr.

Dos Santos earned rave reviews for his dominant victory over Carwin at UFC 131, following 15 minutes in which he outboxed arguably the biggest puncher in the heavyweight division.

Davis Jnr was less impressed though, asking fans to cast their minds back to Chuck Liddell in his prime. Liddell finished 13 of his 21 light-heavyweight victories by knockout, and he would undoubtedly have stopped Carwin, according to Davis Jnr.

"If Chuck Liddell was a heavyweight fighting one of these guys, especially Shane Carwin, he would've knocked him out," said Davis to Alex Donno from 790 the Ticket.

"Chuck was a fast starter. He didn't play. He tried to put you away. These guys are just too tentative to me."

Elaborating on his criticism of Dos Santos, Davis Jnr suggested that Liddell would have allowed Carwin to get back to his feet - rather than wasting energy delivering a flurry of blows to a grounded fighter. He also questioned the Brazilian's technique.

"If you compare it to boxing it wasn't that good. It was okay for MMA," Davis said. "If he was a pure boxer, he would've knocked him out a long time ago.

"He just seemed cautious and scared. He didn't throw enough jabs. He should've put him away."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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