Phil Davis (fighter)

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Phil Davis
UFC fighter visits Freedom Crossing 121116-A-UK859-003 (cropped).jpg
Born Phil Kwabina Davis
(1984-09-25) September 25, 1984 (age 40)
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States
Other names Mr. Wonderful
Nationality American
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Division Light Heavyweight (205 lb)
Reach 79.0 in (201 cm)[1]
Style Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing, Kickboxing, Wrestling
Stance Orthodox
Fighting out of Chula Vista, California, United States
Team Alliance MMA
Wrestling NCAA Division I Wrestling
Years active 2008–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total 19
Wins 15
By knockout 3
By submission 5
By decision 7
Losses 3
By decision 3
No contests 1
Other information
University Penn State University
Notable school(s) Harrisburg High School
Website http://www.philmrwonderful.com/
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
last updated on: August 5, 2013

Phil Kwabina Davis [2] (born September 25, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes as a Light Heavyweight for Bellator MMA. As of September 19 2015, Davis is the inaugural Bellator MMA Dynamite 1 Light Heavyweight Tournament Champion.

Background

Davis was born and raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with his two older brothers, Jeffery and John. He began wrestling when he was in the eighth grade and then attended Harrisburg High School where he was a four-year team captain and letterman, with a 112-17 career record. Davis also lettered in tennis and cross-country running. He then went on to wrestle for the Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling team, finishing in 5th place nationally in the 197 lb weight class as a junior in 2007 [3] and then winning the (197 lbs) NCAA title in 2008. He finished with an overall wrestling record of 116–15 while at Penn State and was a four-time NCAA Division I All-American.[4] After graduating from Penn State, he began training with the newly formed LionHeart MMA team, coached by Jeff Rockwell (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu), TJ Turner (boxing), Mark Miller, (kickboxing/Muay Thai), Matt Kocher (wrestling/S&C) and Ryan Gruhn (Muay Thai) in State College, Pennsylvania.[5]

His primary training partners were Paul Bradley, Lou Armezzani and Jimy Hettes. He also trained with many visiting fighters such as Dave Herman, Shanon Slack, Dominick Cruz, Jon Jones and Cain Velasquez. When the LionHeart team disbanded in 2009, Davis moved to San Diego, California to continue his training with Alliance MMA. Davis earned his blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Lloyd Irvin in 2009[citation needed]. In 2009 he won the No Gi Grappling World Jiu-Jitsu Championship as a blue belt in the 221 lbs, Super Heavyweight division.[6] Davis began his professional mixed martial arts career in 2008, compiling a record of 4–0 in regional promotions across the United States.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Davis signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in December 2009.[7]

First contender run

Davis made his UFC debut against Brian Stann on February 6, 2010 at UFC 109,[8] winning by unanimous decision. He then faced fellow undefeated prospect, Swedish Alexander Gustafsson on April 10, 2010 at UFC 112.[9] Davis defeated Gustafsson via submission (anaconda choke) in the first round, giving Gustafsson his first loss.

Davis next faced Rodney Wallace on August 7, 2010 at UFC 117, replacing the injured Stanislav Nedkov.[10][11] Davis controlled the bout with his wrestling and won by unanimous decision. Davis fought Tim Boetsch on November 20, 2010 at UFC 123.[12] He won by a one-handed modified kimura submission later dubbed the "Mr. Wonderful." He was awarded $80,000 for Submission of the Night and received the Submission of the Year award from MMANews247.com.[13]

Davis was expected to face Matt Hamill in Toronto at UFC 129.[14] However, Hamill was tapped as a replacement for Thiago Silva against Rampage Jackson at UFC 130. Davis was offered a fight against Jason Brilz,[15] but then he replaced the injured Tito Ortiz on 6 weeks' notice against Antônio Rogério Nogueira in his first UFC main event on March 26, 2011 at UFC Fight Night 24.[16] Davis defeated Nogueira by unanimous decision.

When UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones pulled out of a long-awaited title fight for Rashad Evans, Phil Davis agreed to fight Evans on August 6, 2011 at UFC 133,[17] but on July 12, Davis pulled out of the event with a knee injury and was replaced by Tito Ortiz.[18] Davis was announced to face Lyoto Machida on December 10, 2011 at UFC 140, however, shortly after, it was revealed that Davis was still recovering from a knee injury and the fight did not occur.[19]

Davis faced former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans in a Number 1 contender fight on January 28, 2012 at UFC on Fox 2.[20] Despite Davis' substantial wrestling credentials, Evans dominated him on the canvas, coasting to a unanimous decision.

Second contender run

Davis was expected to face Chad Griggs on August 4, 2012 at UFC on FOX 4.[21] However, Griggs was forced out of the bout with an injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Wagner Prado.[22] The fight was ruled "No Contest" after an accidental eye poke at 1:28 of round 1 rendered Prado unable to continue. A rematch with Prado, briefly linked to UFC on FX 5, took place on October 13, 2012 at UFC 153.[23] Davis won the rematch with a second round anaconda choke submission.

Davis was expected to face Forrest Griffin on December 29, 2012 at UFC 155.[24] However, in early December, Griffin pulled out of the bout, citing a knee injury.[25] Davis faced Vinny Magalhães in a wrestler vs. BJJ specialist fight on April 27, 2013 at UFC 159.[26] He won the fight by unanimous decision.

On August 3, 2013 at UFC 163, Davis won a controversial unanimous decision against former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida.[27] Davis' only significant advantage was ground and pound following take-downs in the last minute of rounds one and two. While ESPN scored the fight for Davis,[28] 13 selected UFC affiliate media outlets scored the fight in favor of Machida.[29] An SP Nation fanpost stated, "Some MMA commentators and bloggers scored the fight 30-27 for Lyoto Machida."[30] UFC president Dana White tweeted shortly after the fight that he had Machida winning all three rounds,[31] and later told Yahoo! Sports "Machida definitely won", "MMA judging sucks", and his oft-repeated advice: "Never leave it in the hands of the judges."[32] Machida left the light heavyweight division and went on to fight for the UFC Middleweight Championship.

With an official win over the highly ranked Machida, Davis looked to move into title contention against Anthony "Rumble" Johnson who returned to the UFC[33] riding a six-fight win streak at light heavyweight (including one heavyweight fight) outside the promotion, following his disastrous and much-criticised previous UFC run at welterweight. Despite Davis being a considerable betting favorite, on April 26, 2014 in the co-main event at UFC 172, Johnson shut down Davis' wrestling game and kept the fight standing, where his pronounced edge in the striking won him all three rounds in a unanimous decision.

Leading up to the UFC 172 event, Davis actively baited UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones on a media promotion conference call.[34] Later, he disparaged Jones' achievements against undersized competition, claiming "against actual light heavyweights, he's been so-so". He predicted that he would soon claim the title, while explicitly dismissing the challenge of his own booked opponent Anthony Johnson.[35] Jones, who defended the UFC Light Heavyweight title against Glover Teixeira at the same event, took pleasure in mocking Davis' loss at the post-fight press conference,[36] and later on-line.[37]

Davis faced Glover Teixeira on October 25, 2014 at UFC 179.,[38]He won the fight by unanimous decision.[39]

Davis faced Ryan Bader on January 24, 2015 at UFC on Fox 14.[40] He lost the fight by split decision. This was the last fight on his contract.

Bellator MMA

Following his final fight in the UFC, Davis parted from the organization and signed with Bellator MMA on April 15, 2015.[41]

Davis made his debut as a participant in Bellator's one-night Light Heavyweight tournament at Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1 on September 19, 2015.[42] He faced Emanuel Newton in the opening round[43] and won by submssion due to a kimura.[44] He was scheduled to face Muhammed Lawal in the final.[45] However, Lawal was unable to advance to the finals due to a rib injury and was replaced by alternate Francis Carmont.[46] Davis won the bout via knockout in the first round.[47][48]

Davis is now scheduled to face Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Liam McGeary at a yet-to-be-determined event.[49]

Championships and achievements

Collegiate wrestling

Mixed martial arts

  • MMA News 247

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 15–3 (1) Francis Carmont KO (punches) Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1 September 19, 2015 1 2:15 San Jose, California, United States Won Bellator Light Heavyweight Grand Prix Championship.
Win 14–3 (1) Emanuel Newton Submission (kimura) Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1 September 19, 2015 1 4:39 San Jose, California, United States Bellator Light Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinal.
Loss 13–3 (1) Ryan Bader Decision (split) UFC on Fox: Gustafsson vs. Johnson January 24, 2015 3 5:00 Stockholm, Sweden
Win 13–2 (1) Glover Teixeira Decision (unanimous) UFC 179 October 25, 2014 3 5:00 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Loss 12–2 (1) Anthony Johnson Decision (unanimous) UFC 172 April 26, 2014 3 5:00 Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Win 12–1 (1) Lyoto Machida Decision (unanimous) UFC 163 August 3, 2013 3 5:00 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win 11–1 (1) Vinny Magalhães Decision (unanimous) UFC 159 April 27, 2013 3 5:00 Newark, New Jersey, United States
Win 10–1 (1) Wagner Prado Submission (anaconda choke) UFC 153 October 13, 2012 2 4:29 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
NC 9–1 (1) Wagner Prado NC (accidental eye poke) UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera August 4, 2012 1 1:28 Los Angeles, California, United States Eye poke from Davis rendered Prado unable to continue.
Loss 9–1 Rashad Evans Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis January 28, 2012 5 5:00 Chicago, Illinois, United States UFC Light Heavyweight title eliminator.
Win 9–0 Antônio Rogério Nogueira Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis March 26, 2011 3 5:00 Seattle, Washington, United States
Win 8–0 Tim Boetsch Submission (modified kimura) UFC 123 November 20, 2010 2 2:55 Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States Submission of the Night.
Win 7–0 Rodney Wallace Decision (unanimous) UFC 117 August 7, 2010 3 5:00 Oakland, California, United States
Win 6–0 Alexander Gustafsson Submission (anaconda choke) UFC 112 April 10, 2010 1 4:55 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 5–0 Brian Stann Decision (unanimous) UFC 109 February 6, 2010 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 4–0 David Baggett Submission (rear-naked choke) Ultimate Cage FC 1 June 27, 2009 1 3:37 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Win 3–0 Terry Cohens TKO (punches) Ultimate Warrior Challenge 6 April 25, 2009 1 4:29 Fairfax, Virginia, United States
Win 2–0 Josh Green TKO (punches) PFC 12: High Stakes January 22, 2009 1 1:49 Lemoore, California, United States
Win 1–0 Brett Chism Decision (unanimous) No Boundary 1 October 11, 2008 2 5:00 Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States

Amateur mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 3–0 Steve Zornes KO (punches) NAAFS: Columbus Night of Pain 4 September 19, 2008 1 0:51 Columbus, Ohio, United States
Win 2–0 Andre Braxton Submission (guillotine choke) Fights at the Fair August 9, 2008 1 1:27 Colombus, Ohio, United States
Win 1–0 Kevin Wall TKO (punches) New Breed Fighters 14 June 21, 2008 1 0:46 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States

See also

References

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External links

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