Davion Franklin (@AllDayDavion Instagram)
Davion Franklin fueled by life lessons, ready to seize life-changing opportunities in Bellator MMA
Heading into his biggest fight at Bellator 274, Davion Franklin embraces his career while being fueled by life lessons.
Davion Franklin might not be a name you recognize right away, but sooner than later those around the fight game won’t have a choice but to respect him. Franklin, who is currently 4-0 in his professional career will take on his biggest challenge to date when he faces Said Sowma at Bellator 274 this weekend.
The undefeated 27-year old out of JacksonWink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico currently is ranked eighth in the Bellator MMA heavyweight rankings while his opponent sits one spot behind him. The fight at Bellator 274 serves as an opportunity for the winner to not only pick up a victory, but to see their name jump to the top of the heavyweight rankings, in a division that is searching for new, young, and fresh names.
Speaking to MyMMANews ahead of his fight against Sowma, Franklin discussed the focus on his career goals, silencing critics who try to downplay his early success, and how he’s using life lessons to fuel him for each and every fight.
Putting a silence on his critics
With three first-round finishes in his four professional fights, Davion Franklin has heard plenty of critics downplaying his opponents, calling for a bigger challenge in competition, and he now plans to use his opponent at Bellator 274 to show that everyone has just been sleeping on him.
“They’re sleeping on me, but let them sleep. I know when the lights come on and it’s time to shine, I shine, and I’m one of the only heavyweights who does that. I shouldn’t care what people say but I’m only human, I’m still learning how this game goes but they still have something to say when I beat these guys. If I go out there and destroy Said Sowma they’ll say ‘Oh he’s way bigger than Sowma’ people are always going to have something to say.
But what I’m realizing is I’m to the point where I’m the big bad wolf, this is my yard, I’m the king of that cage, and I want to fight the baddest dudes around. That’s how I’m coming because that’s the only way I’m going to become great, and that’s how you become legendary in this sport.”
Taking a patient approach to the top
Having spent time in his life previously focusing on other sports, Franklin said that he didn’t realize his calling and his potential until he made the commitment to become a professional fighter. While the success has come early for him, with each fight he has, there’s an understanding that being patient and taking the sport as sit comes to him, is the best approach to have.
“I’ve always felt that MMA is my calling and I know that I have to get through Said Sowma first before I can start really feeling like that. It’s a humble feeling, you know I come from nothing. Up until I decided to fight, even in my other sport careers all I know is struggle and pain. This is the one thing in my life that I’m naturally good at, I’ve always had natural talent but I never applied myself and now I’m actually applying myself, so I want these results. I don’t know what it’s like to be great, but I’m chasing greatness. I know I’m not going to take this s**t for granted, I’m striking the iron while it’s hot.”
Breaking down his next opponent
There is no denying the high stakes that hang in the balance of this Bellator 274 matchup, and while Franklin understands the challenge ahead of him, he’s ready to put on a war against Sowma.
“Respectfully, I think he comes to win but respectfully he doesn’t come to fight. He fights but I’ve watched all of his fight, there’s two fights I couldn’t watch of his, but I watched eight of his fights and he fights the same, he’s not coming to fight unless it’s some short fat dude he knows he can beat up. I’m a whole different beast. There’s not one person that he’s fought like me, not one person, not one person who has my drive, my ambition, my will to win.
His fight against Steve Mowry, he gassed out and quit. People don’t talk about that. They want to talk about me gassing out with Ras Hylton but I still beat that man to a pulp and he left on a stretcher. People can doubt me and try to count me out all they want, but you know what I came do.”
Stacking up against all other heavyweights
With the UFC’s heavyweight division in flux due to the pending status of champion Francis Ngannou, there’s an opportunity for other heavyweights in other promotions to step up and make a statement. For Davion Franklin, he knows the dedication and effort that needs to be put in for his goal to be considered among, if not, the best heavyweight in the world.
“Here’s the thing, I’m a dreamer and I visualize a lot of things, but I’m learning to be more realistic with myself to not have super-high expectations. My goal for myself and I’m sure for my coaches, to make such a big impact that they say ‘That Davion guy, he can compete with those guys in the UFC’ my gameplan is to keep having these exceptional performances, and to do things that have not been seen in this sport. Once I do that, then people will be like ‘Ok, he’s the one guy who can compete with guys in the UFC’ this is how you do it, you have timeless performances and I understand that and I believe I’m capable of delivering those performances. I don’t want to talk about this s**t anymore, I just want to do it.”
Understanding what lies ahead
With heavyweight champion Ryan Bader recently defending his title and already booked for another title fight in May, the Bellator MMA heavyweight division is moving, and that provides plenty of opportunities for a heavyweight contender like Davion Franklin to make his mark.
“I think with the way I fight, the more Bellator gives me opportunties and if I continue to stay hungry, nobody going to be talking about UFC heavyweights, they’ll be talking about me, me, me. That’s it, All Day. It’s going to be The All Day Show. Again, you have to go out and put in the work, I’m not in it for the fame, not in it for the money, I’m in it to be great, I’m in it to be dominating and put on timeless performances, that’s all I want to do.”
Shaped and fueled by life lessons
Nothing has ever been handed to Franklin, who previously spoke about a rough upbringing in which he had to make it all for himself and find his way. While some may look back and say they never want to re-live the tough times of their life, he says those memories carry him not only into fighting but inside the cage for each fight he has.
“I mean that was me but truthfully, the pain is what drives me. The pain hasn’t gone away, all the pain and suffering has made who I am today. Yeah, I might be this blue-chip prospect in MMA right now but in life I know what it’s like to be treated like dirt. I don’t know if the pain ever goes away but that pain is what fuels my rage, I’m driven by rage. I fight like it. Once the rage goes, I think the fire goes and there wouldn’t be a reason for me to fight anymore. I’m summoning all of that rage and by the time the fight comes I feel fire. This is going to sound so bad but, to inflict the pain on my opponent that the world has inflicted on me.”
Many people would find it difficult to understand the life that Davion Franklin has experienced thus far, frankly, there are doubts and critics to the fighting career he’s had thus far. But come fight night at Bellator 274, with his toughest opponent to date standing across from him, “All Day” plans to use the rage life has given him, as a propeller to silence critics, and prove his worth as one of the best heavyweight fighters in the game.
