LAS VEGAS – Long before Mike Davis started making a name for himself in the UFC's lightweight division, he was a kid from New York struggling with thoughts of self-harm caused by bullying.
Currently, Davis (11-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is a phenomenal mixed martial artist who snapped a four-fight win streak by stopping Natan Levy with an arm triangle choke in the second round at UFC Fight Night 239. That's all.
This was the first time he had shut out Levy (8-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC). Secondly, Davis is aiming to make two more appearances in 2024 and is not particular about his opponent.
In the meantime, Davis plans to return home and get back to streaming video games. He takes pride in this activity because he loves communicating with the people who participate in his streams. More importantly, it's an evolution of the outlet he says saved his life.
“I like 'The Last of Us,' but the game that saved my life was 'Halo,'” Davis told reporters when asked about his favorite video game at the postgame press conference. told.
Naturally, the second half of that sentence was a heavy way to conclude the answer, so additional questions arose. Davis recalled being bullied as a child and how it led to self-harm.
“As a kid, I was from upstate New York, and as you can probably imagine, there weren't that many black people, so I got bullied a lot,” Davis explained. “I was also really small, like a little kid. So I got stuffed in lockers, called names, picked up and put in basketballs – brothers, I got bullied.
“Often I would try to inflict pain on myself in the bathroom. I would put a toothpick on a rubber band and drive it into my leg. It could cause me pain. I didn't have any friends. I didn’t, I really didn’t.”
Fortunately, Davis was able to escape from bullying and negative thoughts through video games, specifically “Halo.” This first-person sci-fi shooter is one of his highest grossing game series of all time, and is the work that helped the talented UFC lightweight find a purpose to stay alive.
“What saved my life was coming home after school and turning on the Xbox that my mom gave me. It was amazing. She worked so hard to get it. I worked, and I got 'Halo,''' Davis said. “I met friends. I met friends from around the area, I met friends from all over the world. Every day, the only thing that makes me want to keep going is jumping on Halo and playing with my friends. did.”
Years after the bullying stopped, Davis has transformed into a high-level UFC athlete, currently riding a four-fight win streak in one of the sport's toughest divisions. But some of the bullies have tried to stay in contact with Davis and are reflecting on their actions.
“I apologize for everything,” Davis said. “'Hey Mike, I'm sorry for bullying you in the past. You know I was just trying to help you grow into a better man. I was stupid, bro. That's stupid.
For more information on the card, check out MMA Junkie's UFC Fight Night 239 event hub.
The story originally appeared on MMA Junkie
