Joel Malcolm Davis (born December 29, 1993) is an American professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

and graduated folkstyle wrestler who currently competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA. As a wrestler at

Notre Dame College Notre Dame College (Notre Dame College of Ohio or NDC) is a private Roman Catholic college in South Euclid, Ohio. Established in 1922 as a women's college, it has been coeducational since January 2001. Notre Dame College offers 30 majors and i ...

, he was the only four-time undefeated NCAA Division II National Champion in history and one of the three to do so across all

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

divisions.

Wrestling career

High school

Born in Compton, California, Davis attended Santa Fe High School, where he was a two-sport athlete, playing football and competing in

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

. He started wrestling at age five, and he was a

CIF Cif is a French brand of household cleaning products owned by the Anglo-Dutch company Unilever, known as Jif in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Middle East and the Nordic countries. Cif was launched in France in 1965 and was marketed in competit ...

state finalist his sophomore year and state champion in his

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

and senior seasons as a high schooler. Nationally, he was a two-time FloNationals champion and a Reno champion. Davis was an

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

recruit as a football player, however, he chose to wrestle.

College

After graduating from high school, Davis committed to wrestle at the

. Davis finished his true freshman season with 33 victories and no defeats and an NCAA title at 165 pounds. After moving up to 174 pounds, Davis compiled 35 more wins and closed the season undefeated, claiming titles from the Clarion Knight Point Open, Michigan State Open, Cleveland State Open, University of Indianapolis Greyhound Open, NCAA Division II Super Region I and the NCAA National Championship. As a junior, he compiled a record of 38–0 and won his third NCAA Division II National title. In his fourth and last season, Davis was able to close the show with a National title at 184 pounds and the Outstanding Wrestler Award, finishing his overall career with 133 wins and no losses. Davis is one of the three undefeated four-time NCAA champions, sharing the podium with

Cael Sanderson Cael Norman Sanderson ( ; born June 20, 1979) is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler who is the current head coach of Penn State University's wrestling team. As a wrestler, he won an Olympic Gold medal and was undefeated in four ...

(159–0) from Division I and

Marcus LeVesseur Ausburg Auggies Marcus LeVesseur (born July 17, 1982) is a retired American mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2003, he competed for the UFC and Adrenaline MMA. As a collegiat ...

(155–0) from

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

Freestyle

In May 2016, Davis competed at the annual Beat The Streets event, named ''Salsa in the Square''. He faced three-time NCAA Division I Champion and

Dan Hodge Trophy The Dan Hodge Trophy is awarded each year to the United States of America’s best college wrestler. The trophy is presented at the end of the season by W.I.N. Magazine (''Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine'') and Culture House. It is the collegiate w ...

winner Alex Dieringer. He lost the match by points, being outscored 9 points to none.

Mixed martial arts career

Davis started competing in

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

while he was still competing in college, amassing an undefeated record of 5 wins and no losses.

Bellator MMA

Davis signed with Bellator MMA in June 2016, months after his last

season in college. Davis made his professional debut at an 175-pound catchweight bout against Keith Cutrone on August 26, 2016, at Bellator 160. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Davis faced Justin Roswell on August 25, 2017, at Bellator 182 (a year later his previous bout). He won the fight by technical-knockout in the first round. Davis faced Ian Butler on January 20, 2018, at

Bellator 192 2018 in Bellator MMA was the tenth year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 23 events in 2015. Background In addition to airing cards on the newly-rebranded Paramount Network ...

. He won the fight by knockout 39 seconds into the first round. Davis faced Craig Plaskett on June 29, 2018, at Bellator 201. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Davis was scheduled to face Jesse Merritton on March 29, 2019, at Bellator 219. However, Merritton withdrew from the event and was replaced by Marcus Anthony. Davis won the fight by knockout in the first round. Davis faced Jeff Peterson on October 9, 2019, at Bellator 229. He won the fight by knockout in a minute into the first round. Davis faced Chris Cisneros on December 20, 2019, at Bellator 235. He won the fight by technical-knockout in the first round. Davis faced promotional newcomer Bobby Lee on November 19, at Bellator 253. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Awards and accomplishments

Folkstyle wrestling

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

Division II 165 lb National Champion out of

(2013) **

Division II 174 lb National Champion out of

(2014) **

Division II 174 lb National Champion out of

(2015) **

Division II 184 lb National Champion out of

(2016)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Bobby Lee , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 253 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Chris Cisneros , TKO (punches) , Bellator 235 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:55 ,

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Jeffrey Peterson , KO (flying knee) , Bellator 229 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:00 ,

Temecula Temecula (; es, Temécula, ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 census and was incorporated on December 1, 1989. The city is a ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Marcus Anthony , KO (punch) , Bellator 219 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:21 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Craig Plaskett , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 201 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Ian Butler , KO (spinning back kick) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:39 , Inglewood, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Justin Roswell , TKO (elbows) , Bellator 182 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:35 ,

Verona, New York Verona (called ''Te-o-na-ta-le'', "''pine forest''" by the Haudenosaunee) is a town in southwestern Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 6,293 at the 2010 census. The town was named after Verona, Italy. Verona is located so ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Keith Cutrone , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 160 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...

, United States ,

NCAA record

! colspan="8", NCAA Division II Championships Matches , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2016 NCAA (DII) Championships at 184 lbs , - , Win , 16–0 , align=left, Travis Mckillop , style="font-size:88%", 3–1 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, March 11–12, 2016 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2016 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships , - , Win , 15–0 , align=left, Jacob Waste , style="font-size:88%", 3–2 , - , Win , 14–0 , align=left, Nick Burghardt , style="font-size:88%", 8–2 , - , Win , 13–0 , align=left, Brandon Supernaw , style="font-size:88%", MD 13–5 , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2015 NCAA (DII) Championships at 174 lbs , - , Win , 12–0 , align=left, Zeb Wahle , style="font-size:88%", 4–2 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, March 13–14, 2015 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2015 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships , - , Win , 11–0 , align=left, John Blankenship , style="font-size:88%", 7–4 , - , Win , 10–0 , align=left, Terrence Zaleski , style="font-size:88%", 4–2 , - , Win , 9–0 , align=left, Caleb Copeland , style="font-size:88%", MD 14–5 , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2014 NCAA (DII) Championships at 174 lbs , - , Win , 8–0 , align=left, Adam Walters , style="font-size:88%", 4–1 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, March 14–15, 2014 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2014 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships , - , Win , 7–0 , align=left, Patrick Martinez , style="font-size:88%", 5–2 , - , Win , 6–0 , align=left, Trevor Grant , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 5–0 , align=left, Conner Monk , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2013 NCAA (DII) Championships at 165 lbs , - , Win , 4–0 , align=left, Chase Nelson , style="font-size:88%", 7–5 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, March 8–9, 2013 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4, 2013 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships , - , Win , 3–0 , align=left, Isaiah Jimenez , style="font-size:88%", MD 11–2 , - , Win , 2–0 , align=left, Justin Samora , style="font-size:88%", MD 18–4 , - , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Wade Gobin , style="font-size:88%", 11–7 , -

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Joey Living people American male sport wrestlers American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing freestyle wrestling 1993 births