Phil 'Mr. Wonderful' Davis
UFC light heavyweight Phil ‘Mr. Wonderful’ Davis (10-1, 1NC) earned an impressive victory over Wagner Prado earlier this month in Brazil at UFC 153. Davis utilized an anaconda choke to force the tap at 4:29 of the second round of the Rio de Janeiro event.
Following his win, Davis had been looking to take some time off so he could get “fat” but instead took a fight with former UFC light heavyweight champ Forrest Griffin. ‘Mr. Wonderful’ stepped in as a replacement for Chael Sonnen who steps up to coach opposite division champ Jon Jones in the new year.
Davis called in to the Sportsnet ’590 The Fan’ during the UFC Central program this past Thursday, to talk about his recent win versus Prado in Brazil as well as his thoughts on his upcoming fight with Griffin.
“They contacted me about fighting Forrest (Griffin). Actually when I got off the plane from Brazil. I stayed in Brazil a couple of extra days. As soon as I got off the plane from Brazil, turned on my phone for the first time in two weeks…I get a ton of text messages. I’m going through my text messages and whenever you get sixty messages at once you have to go through the important ones first. I went to family. Typed all the ones to my management.”
“As soon as I got text messaged back from my management, I’m like ‘Oh crap, I have a fight in two months. I have to get back in shape.’ Not that I’m not in good shape but I have to stay in shape. I can’t get fat. I’m looking forward to getting fat, you know what I’m saying?”
“….Yeah, as soon as I got off the plane I got the text message to fight Forrest. Obviously he is a former champion. Well known inside the sport and out. It’s just an honor to fight him. I said ‘absolutely.’”
When one talks about Forrest Griffin, one is certain to think of Stephan Bonnar after both men’s epic battle in the final of the first ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’
Both fighters possess similar styles, and Davis was asked his thoughts on battling someone with their mentality.
“I’d rather not go three rounds with a guy like that. He just keeps going you know. Exactly, exactly. He is just like a Stephan Bonnar. Those guys, they get bloodied up and ‘alright I’m ready to do this thing.’ I don’t really get it but that’s how they roll. You know, I like that know that a guys not going to be scared of you but he’s going to pressure you. That to me, that brings out the best of me. That brings out the fight in my game.”
“Sometimes when you face a guy who just wants to pick you apart with one strike here and there, it slows down the pace a lot. I want a fast paced fight. I want a ‘Fight of the Night’ you know.”
“I look forward to it, it should be awesome.”
Davis is 1-1 (1NC) in his last three fights, having beaten Prado in their rematch following a “No Contest” result after an accidental eye-poke at UFC on FOX 4 in August, and losing for the first time in his career to Rashad Evans by decision at UFC on FOX 2.