Alexis Davis: Title-eliminator with Cat Zingano is 'where I would love to be'

With two wins in the still-growing UFC women’s bantamweight division, including a decision over a onetime title challenger, Alexis Davis‘ career is looking up.

In the co-main event of “UFC Fight Night 31: UFC Fight for the Troops 3? on Wednesday, Davis earned a unanimous-decision win over Liz Carmouche, who gave champ Ronda Rousey a run for her money before submitting to an armbar in their historic headliner at UFC 157 earlier this year.

Rousey is set to rematch Miesha Tate for the title at next month’s UFC 168 event, but there’s some uncertainty about what will happen after that.

Davis, however, is ready to take a big step up. Asked whether she would fight the currently recovering Cat Zingano in a title eliminator, she said, “That’s where I would love to be right now. I’ll take any opportunity I get.”

“UFC Fight Night 31: UFC Fight for the Troops 3? took place at Fort Campbell in Kentucky and benefitted the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which aids combat vets who suffer traumatic brain injuries. The event’s main card aired live on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on MMAjunkie.com.

Zingano is on the mend from a torn ACL she suffered while training for the spot that Tate now occupies. While her return is targeted for the first quarter of 2014, and UFC President Dana White has said she’ll next fight Rousey, the injury is such that a firm timeline hasn’t been announced.

That leaves Davis in prime position.

“This is where I want to be, obviously,” she said at the post-event press conference. “We all want the title shot. Is that my next step? Do I have to go to Cat Zingano first? We all know she’s next in line for it. But whatever comes at me, I’m ready.”

Carmouche (9-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) dominated in her previous UFC bout against Jessica Andrade, earning a second-round TKO, but looked out of step through much of her fight with Davis (15-5 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who bested veteran Rosi Sexton in her UFC debut at UFC 161.

The performance was impressive to White, though he wouldn’t commit to the idea of the 29-year-old Davis as someone who could usurp Zingano.

“I have a lot of respect for Liz Carmouche, and I think she’s a great fighter, and [Alexis] absolutely picked her apart tonight,” he said. “She shut her down. She made her tentative. She made Liz feel uncomfortable, like she couldn’t throw any punches or anything. I thought she fought a great fight tonight.

“Obviously, the women’s division, with Cat Zingano hurt, and this fight’s going to happen with Miesha and Ronda, who knows. We’ll see what happens. The win she had tonight was very impressive and definitely puts her in a good position.”

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 31, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.