More than 10 months removed from his last Octagon appearance, Phil Davis will be competing in the biggest fight of his MMA career against Rashad Evans on Saturday.
With an impressive victory over Evans at UFC on Fox 2, Davis could earn himself a shot at the light heavyweight title. While Dan Henderson could jump ahead of him in line for a championship fight, Davis has said he is willing to wait for a fight with the winner of a fight between “Hendo” and champion Jon Jones.
First, however, Davis will have to defeat a former champion in Evans, who has been in line for his own shot at the belt for more than 18 months. If Davis is able to steal Evans’ shot at the 205-pound title, the light heavyweight division would be shaken up quite a bit.
A former NCAA champion wrestler, Davis would present one of the most intriguing stylistic matchups against Jones. In his MMA career, Jones has never been forced to fight off his back. If any light heavyweight is able to take Jones out of his comfort zone, it will most likely be Davis.
By winning at UFC on Fox 2, Davis would also throw a fork in the road of Evans’ career. Having competed at 174 pounds during his college wrestling career, many have wondered if Evans is capable of a drop to the middleweight division.
A loss to Davis could finally prompt the 32-year-old to move to 185 pounds in hopes of one final run at a title, leaving the light heavyweight division with one less contender for up-and-coming fighters to worry about.
Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.
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