Overview
Phil Kwabina Davis (born September 25, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes as a Light Heavyweight for Bellator MMA, where he is the former Bellator Light Heavyweight World Champion. Prior to signing with Bellator, Davis competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he achieved success as a top 5 Light Heavyweight contender and held a UFC record of 9–3 (1). He is currently ranked as the #7 Light Heavyweight fighter in the world by ranking site Fight Matrix. Davis first gained athletic notoriety in college as a wrestler for Penn State University, where he became an NCAA Division I champion in 2008. As of October 19, 2021, #2 in the Bellator Light Heavyweight Rankings.
Background
Davis was born and raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with his two older brothers, Jeffery and John. He began wrestling when he was in the seventh grade and then attended Harrisburg High School where he was a four-year team captain and letterman, with a 112–17 career record. Davis also lettered in tennis and cross-country running. He then went on to wrestle for the Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling team, finishing in 5th place nationally in the 197 lb weight class as a junior in 2007 and then winning the (197 lbs) NCAA title in 2008. He finished with an overall wrestling record of 116–20 while at Penn State and was a four-time NCAA Division I All-American. After graduating from Penn State, he began training with the newly formed LionHeart MMA team in State College, Pennsylvania.
Mixed martial arts career
Davis' primary training partners were Paul Bradley, Lou Armezzani and Jimy Hettes. He also trained with many visiting fighters such as Dave Herman, Shanon Slack, Dominick Cruz, Jon Jones and Cain Velasquez. When the LionHeart team disbanded in 2009, Davis moved to San Diego, California, to continue his training with Alliance MMA. Davis earned his blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Lloyd Irvin in 2009. In 2009 he won the No Gi Grappling World Jiu-Jitsu Championship as a blue belt in the 221 lbs, Super Heavyweight division. Davis began his professional mixed martial arts career in 2008, compiling a record of 4–0 in regional promotions across the United States.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Davis signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in December 2009.
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).