Phil Davis On UFC Career: It Was Fun While It Lasted

Former top-10-ranked UFC light heavyweight Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis is gearing up for his Bellator debut as he’s set to take part in a four man light heavyweight tournament at Bellator’s Dynamite! show next month.

Davis had a pretty solid career inside of the Octagon, despite losing two out of his last three. Many attribute his split with the UFC due to his sometimes not so appealing style of fighting.

Speaking on his departure from the UFC with MMAFighting, “Mr. Wonderful” stated that it was like breaking up with a girlfriend, and that it was fun while it lasted:

“I enjoyed changing all of my headings and all my profiles and pictures and such. Some of it is like, ‘Man, I really liked that photo.’ It’s weird. It’s like breaking up with a girlfriend. ‘That was fun while it lasted.'”

Davis has faced off with some of the best 205-pounders in the world during his career, and next month, he will take on Bellator’s best including Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal, Emmanuel Newtown, and Linton Vassell. “Mr. Wonderful” is probably the most experienced of the four, and I assume many will be picking the UFC vet to win the tournament, but that doesn’t mean that Davis sees himself as the favorite.

Davis says that he’s a way for guys to get into the top 10, and that he needs to make a statement:

“I don’t consider myself the favorite,” Davis said. “I’m just working. I consider myself the guy who needs to show up and make a statement the most.

“Everybody wants to be ranked in the top 10, top five in the world. Everybody wants to be the best. I’d put myself as a way to get into that elite level of guys.”

It seems as if more and more ex-UFC fighters are finding themselves ending up with Bellator, and Davis admits that he couldn’t be happier. The former national champion says that switching organizations has helped refuel his fire:

“I’ll tell you this: life is good. I am a happy dude. I feel like I re-found my – not that I ever didn’t love training and competing and fighting – but it’s like revised eagerness just to do the same thing every single day.”

Will Davis be a Bellator champion in the future?