Phil Davis

Phil Kwabina Davis (born September 25, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes as a Light Heavyweight for Bellator MMA, where he is the former Bellator Light Heavyweight World Champion.

Prior to signing with Bellator, Davis competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he achieved success as a top 5 Light Heavyweight contender and held a UFC record of 9–3 (1).

He is currently ranked as the #7 Light Heavyweight fighter in the world by ranking site Fight Matrix.

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 and then winning the (197 lbs) NCAA title in 2008.

He finished with an overall wrestling record of 116–20 while at Penn State and was a four-time NCAA Division I All-American.

After graduating from Penn State, he began training with the newly formed Lionheart MMA team in State College, Pennsylvania.

Davis' 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.

Davis first gained athletic notoriety in college as a wrestler for Penn State University, where he became an NCAA Division I champion in 2008.

As of October 19, 2021, #2 in the Bellator Light Heavyweight Rankings.

Davis was born and raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with his two older brothers, Jeffery and John.

He began wrestling when he was in the seventh 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.

Davis began his professional mixed martial arts career in 2008, compiling a record of 4–0 in regional promotions across the United States.

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.

In 2009 he won the No Gi Grappling World Jiu-Jitsu Championship as a blue belt in the 221 lbs, Super Heavyweight division.

Davis signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in December 2009.

Davis made his UFC debut against Brian Stann on February 6, 2010, at UFC 109, winning by unanimous decision.

Davis faced Alexander Gustafsson on April 10, 2010, at UFC 112.

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.

Davis controlled the bout with his wrestling and won by unanimous decision.

Davis fought Tim Boetsch on November 20, 2010, at UFC 123.

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.

Davis was expected to face Matt Hamill in Toronto at UFC 129.

However, Hamill was tapped as a replacement for Thiago Silva against Rampage Jackson at UFC 130.

Davis was offered a fight against Jason Brilz, 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.

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, but on July 12, Davis pulled out of the event with a knee injury and was replaced by Tito Ortiz.

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.

Davis faced former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans in a number one contender fight on January 28, 2012, at UFC on Fox 2.

Despite Davis' substantial wrestling credentials, Evans dominated him on the canvas, coasting to a unanimous decision.

Davis was expected to face Chad Griggs on August 4, 2012, at UFC on FOX 4.

However, Griggs was forced out of the bout with an injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Wagner Prado.

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.

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.