Phil Davis first gained notoriety as a national wrestling champion at Penn State.
Then he took his wrestling talents to the UFC, where he reached contender status but never fought for a belt.
In 2015, he went outside the Octagon for his biggest move as a pro, becoming the most prominent fighter to that point to leave the UFC for Bellator MMA.
On Friday at Bellator 163, Davis added a new line item and high-water mark on his career: MMA champion.
Coming into the bout, Liam McGeary was widely considered a tough out and a worthy Bellator light heavyweight champ. Davis ripped a few holes in those conventions when he tore through McGeary’s takedown defense. In each of the five rounds, Davis drove the champ to the mat and advanced his position, frequently achieving full mount and putting McGeary in all sorts of compromising spots.
Clearly not satisfied to simply control his opponent, Davis worked for submissions and better position throughout the bout.
Davis even looked better in his striking, historically (and still) his biggest weakness as an MMA fighter. A big left hand wobbled McGeary and set the tone early, while rangy leg kicks and punch combinations were enough to set up those takedowns and avoid big exchanges with McGeary, who has a bruiser’s reputation.
The convincing nature of the win was evident in the scorecards at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut: 50-43, 50-45 and 50-44. That means, in all likelihood, that two of the three judges had Davis winning at least one round by a 10-8 margin, while none saw any round for McGeary.
It was the first pro loss for McGeary (11-1), while Davis moves to 17-3 (1) as a pro. He has won all four of his fights under the Bellator banner.
What’s next for the new champ? Davis is still only 32 years old and has the intelligence and outspokenness to complement his talent. He also has a ready-made first challenger in the winner between fellow UFC vets Chael Sonnen and Tito Ortiz, who square off in January.
For now, though, Davis can and should be pleased with what he’s just earned. It’s been a long road at times for Davis, but now he has cemented his position as a champion after one of the best performances of his career, Bellator or otherwise.
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