Cage Junkies Exclusive: Marcus Davis to face Chuck O’Neil in Warrior One co-main event October 15

Posted by Jay Pagliaro on Sep 3, 2011 in MMA

Three days after announcing their return event, featuring a fight between former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title contenders Gabriel Gonzaga and Jeff Monson; the Warrior One promotion has signed a New England themed co-main event, as UFC and Ultimate Fighter 2 vet Marcus Davis will face Ultimate Fighter 13 alumni Chuck O’Neil in a three round welterweight fight.

The Maine based Davis was a staple of the UFC’s welterweight division, fighting 15 times for the promotion from 2006-2011. Since being released from the promotion in January, the native of Bangor, Maine has won two straight for the Maximum Fighting Championship promotion. He also is slated to face Josh Hersey September 23rd in Portland, ME.

His opponent, O’Neil gained prominence for being a semi-finalist on Season 13 of the Ultimate Fighter. The gritty New Hampshire based fighter entered the competition as an alternate, picking up a pair of wins before bowing out to season winner Tony Ferguson. The W1 event October 15 will mark his first fight since being released from the UFC.

For O’Neil, the opportunity to fight a universally respected veteran like Davis is an opportunity he greatly looks forward to

It’s going to be an honor to fight Davis,” O’Neil said. “He’s a great guy, one I’ve trained with a few times in Boston. I have unlimited respect for him. You won’t hear one negative word from me about him leading up to the fight. I’ll respect him before it, I’ll respect him during it and I’ll respect him after it.”

When asked, O’Neil cited the opportunity to test himself against the best in the sport as his reasoning for accepting the fight with Davis.

“After my time on the show (the Ultimate Fighter), I set a goal to test myself against the best of the best in this sport, and Marcus is definitely one of the best,” O’Neil said. “I’m in this sport to challenge myself, and fighting Davis will be the perfect opportunity to do so.”

Davis and O’Neil will face off October 15th at the University of Miami’s Bank United Center.