The man behind the man: UFC fighter Devin Clark, dad David Clark have an unconventional working recipe

At UFC 250 this past Saturday night, Devin Clark was in trouble early.

Cracked by a powerful Alonzo Menifield combination, his left orbital bone shattered upon impact – not an ideal situation for any fighter.

In trouble, Clark ducked and dodged as best he could – unable to see well. However, he heard a voice: a loud voice, but a very familiar one – the voice of his father, David.

There’s loud – and then there’s David Clark loud.

A staple of Devin’s corner, David’s yells bellowed throughout the crowd-less UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Maneuvering through the blindness, Devin survived. No one will know for sure, but it may have been his father’s support that made the difference.

In the second and third rounds, Devin rallied, showing guts, heart, and anything else synonymous. The performance over the span of three rounds earned him a unanimous decision nod. Devin’s performance gained traction online throughout the MMA community. David’s audibly thunderous support did, too.

While it was noticed by the masses more so on Saturday, David has always been in his corner, doing the same exact thing.

“I just did what I normally do,” David Clark told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “From Day 1, that’s what I do.”

Diving deeper into Devin’s athletic career, David has been a catalyst for as long as it has existed.

“You should have heard him back when I played football and baseball and anything else; he’s actually calmed down a little bit,” Devin laughed when speaking to MMA Junkie. “He brings that presence to the fight – that fighting presence. I think everybody needs – and this is with all love – a crazy-ass dude who’s ready to go on a dime. That’s what my dad brings. That’s why he’s always with me. I know he’s got my back and he’s ready at all times.”

Unlike many UFC-level corners, David doesn’t have an MMA background. So sitting among Devin’s Xs-and-Os coaches, who provide technical advice, what is David’s role exactly?

“My role is just to – you heard what I do,” David said. “That’s what I do. That’s what I do. I help him out as much as I can.”

As a matter of fact, it’s not just MMA. David doesn’t have any sort of martial arts background. Fighting, however, is not foreign for Mr. Clark. He’s lived the lifestyle – the real fighting lifestyle. You know, the kind that you don’t get paid for.

“I’m not a natural with violence,” Devin said. “(My dad) helps bring that across a little bit. Nobody really knows his backstory, but he grew up in East St. Louis, Ill. It’s pretty rough there, and it always has been. He had to fight in the streets. He had to fight for his survival. He brings that across in the fights. That’s what it is to him. That’s what it becomes to me.

“This is more than just a competition. Sometimes I get caught up in my mind that it’s just a competition. This is a sport, but it’s a fight. You can die in there. It’s blood, sweat, and tears. He helps me bring that to the table.”

Perhaps due to that real-life violence, David introduced Devin to boxing and wrestling at age 7. By 9, Devin was a state boxing champion. Fast forward 21 years later, and Devin is knocking on the UFC’s official top 15.

Sure, it’s unconventional – but it’s a working recipe. David and Devin, father and son, are on an elevated level of understanding – at a high degree not many fighters could understand.

“I try to keep it down to a low roar, but when he gets in a little trouble, all bets are off on being quiet,” David said. “I don’t care who’s around or who hears it. Something good is coming out of my mouth, or something bad, or something that he’ll understand. I know people don’t understand what I’m saying, but he does. Even though he might be getting his ass kicked in the ring, he understands what I’m saying.”

For David, as a father who has been there every step of the way, the process has been understatedly rewarding.

“Phenomenal,” David said. “Just phenomenal. I couldn’t have guessed him to be as good as he is. He just kept up the hard work. He never gave up and just put in the work. He put in the body of work and just kept putting it in. This is where he ends up.”

Like father, like son, David and Devin are pretty laid back when answering the classic question, “Well, what’s next?” Healing up from his eye injury, Devin said he’d be interested in a fight with Mauricio Rua, should the former champion defeat Antonio Rogerio Nogueira on July 25. Who knows?

David was there when his son won his state boxing tournament. He was there when UFC president Dana White offered him a contract on “Dana White: Lookin’ For a Fight.” Whether it’s a championship fight or an unranked matchup, you better damn believe David Clark will be there, screaming advice.

“Saturday night was a start on the road to the championship – for the title,” David said. “Like he’ll tell you or tell anybody or whoever’s up next, I know there’re some up-and-comers who still want him like this guy wanted him. They think they can beat him. If he has to take another one of those, we’ll take another one of those. If he wants to move forward and advance, I know he has a few other guys in his sight. He’ll work on that – on the other guys.”