Phil Davis (fighter) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Phil Davis
Born	Phil Kwabina Davis (1984-09-25) September 25, 1984 (age 40) Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Other names	Mr. Wonderful
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Division	Light Heavyweight
Reach	79 in (201 cm)
Style	Wrestling
Stance	Orthodox
Fighting out of	Chula Vista, California, U.S.
Team	LionHeart MMA (2008–2009) Alliance MMA (2009–2024)
Rank	Purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Richie Martinez
Wrestling	NCAA Division I Wrestling
Years active	2008–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total	32
Wins	24
By knockout	6
By submission	5
By decision	13
Losses	7
By decision	7
No contests	1
Other information
University	Penn State University
Notable school(s)	Harrisburg High School
Medal record Collegiate Wrestling Representing the Penn State Nittany Lions NCAA Division I Championships Gold 2008 St. Louis 197 lb Silver 2006 Oklahoma City 197 lb Big Ten Championships Gold 2006 Bloomington 197 lb Gold 2008 Park Ridge 197 lb

Phil Kwabina Davis (born September 25, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist. He is known as "Mr. Wonderful." He competes in the Light Heavyweight division. Phil used to be the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Champion.

Before joining Bellator, Phil fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He was one of the top 5 fighters in his weight class. Phil first became famous as a wrestler in college. He wrestled for Penn State University. In 2008, he became an NCAA Division I champion.

Early Life and Wrestling Career

Phil Davis grew up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He has two older brothers, Jeffery and John. Phil started wrestling when he was in seventh grade. He went to Harrisburg High School. There, he was a wrestling team captain for four years. He had a great record of 112 wins and only 17 losses. Phil also played tennis and ran cross-country.

After high school, he wrestled for the Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling team. In 2007, he finished 5th in the country. In 2008, he won the NCAA title in the 197-pound weight class. Overall, he had 116 wins and 20 losses at Penn State. He was also a four-time NCAA Division I All-American.

Starting a Mixed Martial Arts Career

After college, Phil began training for MMA. He first trained with the LionHeart MMA team. His main training partners were Paul Bradley, Lou Armezzani, and Jimy Hettes. He also trained with famous fighters like Dominick Cruz and Jon Jones.

In 2009, the LionHeart team broke up. Phil then moved to San Diego, California. He joined Alliance MMA to continue his training. He also earned a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In 2009, he won a major grappling championship. Phil started his professional MMA career in 2008. He won his first four fights in smaller events.

Fighting in the UFC

Phil Davis joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in December 2009.

First Fights in the UFC

Phil's first UFC fight was on February 6, 2010, at UFC 109. He won against Brian Stann by decision.

He then fought Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 112. Phil won by submission in the first round. This was Gustafsson's first loss ever.

Next, Phil faced Rodney Wallace at UFC 117. Phil used his wrestling skills to control the fight. He won by decision.

At UFC 123, Phil fought Tim Boetsch. He won with a special submission move. People called this move the "Mr. Wonderful" submission. He even won an award for "Submission of the Night."

Phil was supposed to fight Matt Hamill and Tito Ortiz. But plans changed due to injuries. He ended up fighting Antônio Rogério Nogueira at UFC Fight Night 24. Phil won this fight by decision.

He was set to fight Rashad Evans for a chance at the title. But Phil had a knee injury and had to pull out.

Second Chance at the Top

Phil was supposed to fight Chad Griggs in August 2012. But Griggs got hurt. Wagner Prado stepped in to fight Phil. The fight ended quickly because Phil accidentally poked Prado in the eye. They had a rematch at UFC 153. Phil won the second fight by submission.

He then fought Vinny Magalhães at UFC 159. This was a match between a wrestler (Phil) and a jiu-jitsu expert (Vinny). Phil won by decision.

At UFC 163, Phil won a close fight against Lyoto Machida. Many people thought Machida won, but the judges gave the win to Phil.

Phil then faced Anthony "Rumble" Johnson at UFC 172. Johnson was a strong striker. He stopped Phil from using his wrestling. Johnson won the fight by decision.

Last UFC Fights

After that, Phil fought Glover Teixeira at UFC 179. He used his wrestling skills to win by decision.

Phil's last UFC fight was against Ryan Bader at UFC on Fox 14. He lost this fight by a very close decision. After this, Phil left the UFC. His record there was 9 wins and 3 losses.

Joining Bellator MMA

Phil Davis signed with Bellator MMA on April 15, 2015.

Road to the Championship

Phil joined a special one-night tournament at Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1. He fought Emanuel Newton in the first round. Phil won by submission. He was supposed to fight Muhammed Lawal in the final. But Lawal got hurt. So, Francis Carmont took his place. Phil won the final by knockout in the first round.

Winning the tournament meant Phil would fight for the Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship. He faced Muhammed Lawal again in a fight to decide the next challenger. Phil won by decision.

Phil then fought Liam McGeary for the Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship. This was the main event at Bellator 163. Phil won by decision and became the new Bellator Light Heavyweight champion.

Championship Reign and Beyond

Phil defended his title against Ryan Bader at Bellator 180. This was a rematch from their UFC fight. Phil lost the fight by a close decision. So, he lost his Bellator title.

He then fought Leo Leite at Bellator 186. Phil won by decision.

At Bellator 200, Phil faced Linton Vassell. Phil won by knockout with a head kick in the third round.

Phil fought Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 209. He lost this fight by a close decision.

He had another fight against Liam McGeary at Bellator 220. Phil won by TKO in the third round.

In 2019, Phil signed a new contract with Bellator. He then fought Karl Albrektsson at Bellator 231. Phil won by TKO in the third round.

Phil headlined Bellator 245 in a rematch against Lyoto Machida. Phil won by a split decision.

Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix

In 2021, Phil joined the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament. He fought Vadim Nemkov for the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Championship. This was a rematch of their 2018 fight. The fight happened at Bellator 257. Phil lost the fight by decision.

After the Grand Prix

Phil fought Yoel Romero at Bellator 266. Romero was new to Bellator. Phil won this fight by a split decision.

He then faced Julius Anglickas at Bellator 276. Phil won by decision.

Phil's most recent fight was against Corey Anderson at Bellator 297. He lost this fight by a split decision.

Professional Fighters League

Phil Davis was supposed to fight Rob Wilkinson at PFL 2 in April 2024. However, Phil pulled out of the fight for a reason that was not shared.

Professional Grappling

Phil Davis is also scheduled to compete in a grappling event called EBI 21: The Absolutes on June 2, 2024.

Achievements and Awards

College Wrestling

• National Collegiate Athletic Association
  • NCAA Division I All-American (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
  • NCAA Division I 197 lb – Champion (2008)
  • NCAA Division I 197 lb – Runner-up (2006)

Mixed Martial Arts

• Bellator MMA
  • Bellator Light Heavyweight World Championship (One time)
  • Bellator MMA Dynamite 1 Light Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion
  • Most wins in Bellator Light Heavyweight division (11 wins)
  • Most fights in Bellator Light Heavyweight division (16 fights)
• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Submission of the Night (One time)
• MMA News 247
  • Submission of the Year (2010)

Mixed Martial Arts Record

College Wrestling Record

NCAA Championships Matches
Res.	Record	Opponent	Score	Date	Event
2008 NCAA Championships at 197 lbs
Win	15–5	Wynn Michalak	7–2	March 22, 2008	2008 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Win	14–5	Dallas Herbst	6–0
Win	13–5	Hudson Taylor	7–3
Win	12–5	Logan Brown	9–2
Win	11–5	Riley Orozco	Fall
2007 NCAA Championships 5th at 197 lbs
Loss	10–5	J.D Bergman	4–5	March 16, 2007	2007 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Loss	10–4	Kurt Backes	4–5
Win	10–3	Jerry Rinaldi	6–3
Win	9–3	Travis Gardner	Fall
Win	8–3	Ryan Goodman	9–3
2006 NCAA Championships at 197 lbs
Loss	7–3	Jake Rosholt	3–10	March 18, 2006	2006 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Win	7–2	Jerry Rinaldi	7–4
Win	6–2	B.J Padden	6–5
Win	5–2	Ryan Goodman	6–2
Win	4–2	Jon Oplinger	11–0
2005 NCAA Championships 7th at 197 lbs
Loss	3–2	Wynn Michalak	5–6	March 18, 2005	2005 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Win	3–1	Chris Skretkowicz	12–6
Loss	2–1	Jake Rosholt	4–9
Win	2–0	Ryan Bader	3–1
Win	1–0	Jerry Rinaldi	7–1

See also

In Spanish: Phil Davis (peleador) para niños

• List of current Bellator fighters
• List of male mixed martial artists