What is next for UFC rising star Phil Davis?
Posted by Dylan Horner (Staff Writer)Nov 24
From the moment that Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis (8-0) stepped into the UFC spotlight, people took notice immediately. The first thing you notice about him is his physical appearance and his abnormally muscular upper body. The second thing you notice once he’s is his raw athletic ability inside the cage, or I maybe it’s his signature bright pink Vale Tudo shorts. Either way, once you see him in action you understand why his name is “Mr. Wonderful”.
With less than a year’s time in the UFC, Davis’ improvement is highly evident. In his debut at UFC 109, Davis manhandled former WEC Champion Brian Stann but could not put him away. Nine months later at UFC 123, not only did Davis finish his opponent but he also pulled off a submission hold that had never been used before (a modified kimura/hammerlock combo now aptly named the Mr. Wonderful by Joe Rogan) and earned himself the $80,000 Submission of the Night award.
With each fight, Phil Davis has stepped up in competition while vastly improved his overall skills. After his win at UFC 123 many people were left wondering what would come next for Mr. Wonderful.
Would matchmaker Joe Silva continue to give him mid-tier fighters in order to develop him within the ranks or is it time to move from prospect to title contender and take on a Top Ten fighter?
Davis is not quite ready yet for a shot at the Light Heavyweight Championship, but he is quickly climbing up the ranks and with two or three more big wins, he could be knocking at the door. One possible match up for him would be to face the winner of Forest Griffin and Rich Franklin. Griffin, being a former champion, is trying to get back on track and set himself up for another chance at the title. Rich Franklin, a former Middleweight Champion himself, wants to make a run in the Light Heavyweight division after his fight with Chuck Liddell. A win over either man would definitely increase his stock and move him two or three steps up the ladder.
With Phil Davis being a four-time D-I All-American wrestler and a national champion, a match up against Matt Hamill would be an interesting fight. Not only do they each have a great wrestling base and ground game, they have good stand up and would really test each other. Hamill is coming off a win over Tito Ortiz and both are looking to take their game to the next level.
One final, but also the most farfetched would be the winner of Jon Jones and Ryan Bader. While this fight may seem like a big jump up in competition, Davis is really only a couple of steps behind the two in the sense that they’ve been slowly built up instead of thrown to the sharks straight away. Even though the Jones/Bader fight would eliminate a top prospect, Davis versus the winner would really showcase the depth of the UFC roster.
With his options infinite, Phil Davis will have to keep working hard to improve his game and be ready to face whomever Joe Silva and Dana White place in front of him. Always one to give it his all in the gym, the training aspect shouldn’t be problem for him. Mr. Wonderful avoided enough damage to stay off the medical suspension list, so we could see him back in action sooner rather than later.
[...] Source: http://mmavalor.com/2010/11/24/what-is-next-for-ufc-rising-star-phil-davis/ [...]