The rematch was six years in the making. Davis and Machida met in 2013 when both fought under the UFC banner; Davis won a unanimous decision then in a close fight. The return bout was even closer, a nip-and-tuck affair between fighters looking to enter the title picture in the 205-pound division, where the recently crowned Vadim Nemkov reigns supreme. 

Davis, a former Bellator champion, sought to keep Machida’s opportunities to counter few and far between. He poked with a leg kick early in a tentative opening frame. Considering that Davis, 35, and Machida, 42, are no longer spring chickens, the bout was fought at a slower pace that seemingly benefited Davis, who plucked away at his opponent. 

Machida lacked the reflexes to counter Davis and allowed much of the fight to slip through his fingers. To his credit, he never allowed Davis to use his esteemed wrestling; much of the fight was fought at range.

Although Davis didn’t accomplish much, his leg kicks and occasional combinations were just enough to have two of the three judges see the fight his way with scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29.

Davis picked up his third win in a row and continues to take aim at Nemkov, who beat him by split decision in 2018.

In other action, Cat Zingano made a successful debut in the Bellator cage with a unanimous decision victory over Gabby Holloway.

Zingano, who owns victories over Amanda Nunes and Miesha Tate, needed the change of scenery; she lost four of her last five fights in the UFC. She also moved to the women’s featherweight division and could find herself in the title hunt there soon enough. 

Zingano dominated the first two rounds with her vaunted wrestling and grappling repeatedly taking down Holloway and maintaining top control. She also outstruck her opponent, who came in nearly six pounds overweight, by a 60-5 margin in the early portion of the fight. She appeared to be well on her way to victory.

The former UFC title contender found herself in some trouble in the third round after being taken down and absorbing a significant amount of elbow strikes, but then she swept and regained control. She spent the remainder of the round pelting her opponent with elbows. 

“I wanted this to be a quick night. No one wants to stay in here the whole 15 minutes," Zingano said after earning scores of 30-26, 30-26 and 29-27. "We went the whole distance and that was good, it was an incredible fight."