American mixed martial artist (born 1984)
Phil Kwabina Davis
[1]
(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
.
[7]
Davis first gained athletic notoriety in college as a
wrestler
for
Penn State University
, where he became an
NCAA Division I
champion in 2008.
Background
[
edit
]
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
[8]
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
[9]
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.
[10]
After graduating from Penn State, he began training with the newly formed
LionHeart
MMA team in State College, Pennsylvania.
[11]
Mixed martial arts career
[
edit
]
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
.
[4]
Davis earned his blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Lloyd Irvin in 2009.
[
citation needed
]
In 2009 he won the No Gi Grappling
World Jiu-Jitsu Championship
as a blue belt in the 221 lbs, Super Heavyweight division.
[12]
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
[
edit
]
Davis signed with the
Ultimate Fighting Championship
in December 2009.
[13]
First contender run
[
edit
]
Davis made his UFC debut against
Brian Stann
on February 6, 2010, at
UFC 109
,
[14]
winning by unanimous decision.
[15]
Davis faced
Alexander Gustafsson
on April 10, 2010, at
UFC 112
.
[16]
Davis defeated Gustafsson via submission (anaconda choke) in the first round, giving Gustafsson his first loss.
[17]
Davis next faced
Rodney Wallace
on August 7, 2010, at
UFC 117
, replacing the injured
Stanislav Nedkov
.
[18]
[19]
Davis controlled the bout with his wrestling and won by unanimous decision.
[20]
Davis fought
Tim Boetsch
on November 20, 2010, at
UFC 123
.
[21]
He won by a one-handed modified kimura submission later dubbed the "Mr. Wonderful." He was awarded $80,000 for
Submission of the Night
and received the Submission of the Year award from MMANews247.com.
[22]
Davis was expected to face
Matt Hamill
in Toronto at
UFC 129
.
[23]
However, Hamill was tapped as a replacement for
Thiago Silva
against
Rampage Jackson
at
UFC 130
. Davis was offered a fight against
Jason Brilz
,
[24]
but then he replaced the injured
Tito Ortiz
on 6 weeks' notice against
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
in his first UFC main event on March 26, 2011, at
UFC Fight Night 24
.
[25]
Davis defeated Nogueira by unanimous decision.
[26]
When
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
Jon Jones
pulled out of a long-awaited title fight for
Rashad Evans
, Phil Davis agreed to fight Evans on August 6, 2011, at
UFC 133
,
[27]
but on July 12, Davis pulled out of the event with a knee injury and was replaced by
Tito Ortiz
.
[28]
Davis was announced to face
Lyoto Machida
on December 10, 2011, at
UFC 140
, however, shortly after, it was revealed that Davis was still recovering from a knee injury and the fight did not occur.
[29]
Davis faced former
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
Rashad Evans
in a number one contender fight on January 28, 2012, at
UFC on Fox 2
.
[30]
Despite Davis' substantial wrestling credentials, Evans dominated him on the canvas, coasting to a unanimous decision.
[31]
Second contender run
[
edit
]
Davis was expected to face
Chad Griggs
on August 4, 2012, at
UFC on FOX 4
.
[32]
However, Griggs was forced out of the bout with an injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer
Wagner Prado
.
[33]
The fight was ruled "No Contest" after an accidental eye poke at 1:28 of round 1 rendered Prado unable to continue.
[34]
A rematch with Prado, briefly linked to
UFC on FX 5
, took place on October 13, 2012, at
UFC 153
.
[35]
Davis won the rematch with a second round anaconda choke submission.
[36]
Davis was expected to face
Forrest Griffin
on December 29, 2012, at
UFC 155
.
[37]
However, in early December, Griffin pulled out of the bout, citing a knee injury.
[38]
Davis faced
Vinny Magalhaes
in a wrestler vs.
BJJ
specialist fight on April 27, 2013, at
UFC 159
.
[39]
He won the fight by unanimous decision.
[40]
On August 3, 2013, at
UFC 163
, Davis won a controversial unanimous decision against former
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
Lyoto Machida
.
[41]
Davis' only significant advantage was ground and pound following take-downs in the last minute of rounds one and two. While ESPN scored the fight for Davis,
[42]
13 selected UFC affiliate media outlets scored the fight in favor of Machida.
[43]
An SP Nation
fanpost
stated, "Some MMA commentators and bloggers scored the fight 30?27 for Lyoto Machida."
[44]
UFC president
Dana White
tweeted shortly after the fight that he had Machida winning all three rounds,
[45]
and later told
Yahoo! Sports
"Machida definitely won", "MMA judging sucks", and his oft-repeated advice: "Never leave it in the hands of the judges."
[46]
Machida left the light heavyweight division and went on to fight for the
UFC Middleweight Championship
.
With an official win over the highly ranked Machida, Davis looked to move into title contention against
Anthony "Rumble" Johnson
who returned to the UFC
[47]
riding a six-fight win streak at light heavyweight (including one heavyweight fight) outside the promotion, following his disastrous and much-criticised previous UFC run at welterweight. Despite Davis being a considerable betting favorite, on April 26, 2014, in the co-main event at
UFC 172
, Johnson shut down Davis' wrestling game and kept the fight standing, where his pronounced edge in the striking won him all three rounds in a unanimous decision.
[48]
Leading up to the UFC 172 event, Davis actively baited
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
Jon Jones
on a media promotion conference call.
[49]
Later, he disparaged Jones' achievements against undersized competition, claiming "against actual light heavyweights, he's been so-so". He predicted that he would soon claim the title, while explicitly dismissing the challenge of his own booked opponent
Anthony Johnson
.
[50]
Jones, who defended the UFC Light Heavyweight title against
Glover Teixeira
at the same event, took pleasure in mocking Davis' loss at the post-fight press conference,
[51]
and later on-line.
[52]
Final UFC fights
[
edit
]
After UFC 172, Davis faced
Glover Teixeira
who was coming off a loss to
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
Jon Jones
on the same card. The fight took place October 25, 2014, at
UFC 179
.
[53]
He utilized his wrestling advantage and won the fight by unanimous decision.
[54]
Having just one fight left of his UFC contract, Davis faced
Ryan Bader
on January 24, 2015, at
UFC on Fox 14
.
[55]
He lost the fight by a close split decision.
[56]
He did not re-sign with the UFC, finishing his UFC career with a record of 9?3 (1).
Bellator MMA
[
edit
]
Following his final fight in the UFC, Davis parted from the organization and signed with
Bellator MMA
on April 15, 2015.
[57]
Road to the title
[
edit
]
Davis made his debut as a participant in Bellator's one-night Light Heavyweight tournament at
Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1
on September 19, 2015.
[58]
He faced
Emanuel Newton
in the opening round
[59]
and won by submission due to a kimura.
[60]
He was scheduled to face
Muhammed Lawal
in the final.
[61]
However, Lawal was unable to advance to the finals due to a rib injury and was replaced by alternate
Francis Carmont
.
[62]
Davis won the bout via knockout in the first round.
[63]
[64]
By winning the tournament, Davis was set up to face Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion
Liam McGeary
at a yet-to-be-determined event.
[65]
However, on February 19, 2016, it was announced that Davis next opponent would be
Muhammed Lawal
in a no 1 contender fight on May 14, 2016, at
Bellator 154
.
[66]
He won the fight by unanimous decision.
[67]
Davis faced Liam McGeary for the Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship in the main event at
Bellator 163
on November 4, 2016.
[68]
He won the bout via unanimous decision to become the new
Bellator Light Heavyweight champion
.
[69]
Title and post-title reign
[
edit
]
Davis faced his former opponent
Ryan Bader
again in a title fight on June 24, 2017, at
Bellator 180
.
[70]
Bader and Davis first met at
UFC on Fox: Gustafsson vs. Johnson
on January 24, 2015, with Bader winning by split decision.
[71]
He was defeated again via split decision, thus losing the Bellator title.
[72]
Davis faced undefeated Brazilian fighter Leo Leite on November 3, 2017, at
Bellator 186
.
[73]
He won the fight via unanimous decision.
[74]
Davis faced
Linton Vassell
on May 25, 2018, at
Bellator 200
.
[75]
He won the fight via knock out due to a head kick in round three.
[76]
Davis faced
Vadim Nemkov
on November 15, 2018,
Bellator 209
.
[77]
He lost the fight via split decision.
[78]
Davis next faced
Liam McGeary
at
Bellator 220
on April 27, 2019.
[79]
He won the fight via TKO in the third round.
[80]
On August 15, 2019, it was announced that Davis had signed an exclusive multi-fight, multi-year contract extension with Bellator.
[81]
In his first fight on that contract, Davis faced
Karl Albrektsson
at
Bellator 231
on October 25, 2019.
[82]
He won the fight via TKO in the third round.
[83]
Davis headlined
Bellator 245
in a rematch against
Lyoto Machida
on September 11, 2020.
[84]
He won the fight by split decision.
[85]
Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix
[
edit
]
On February 9, 2021, it was announced that Davis would be participating in the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament. Davis is scheduled to face
Vadim Nemkov
for the
Bellator Light Heavyweight World Championship
in the quarterfinal round. This was a rematch of their November 2018 bout, which saw Nemkov win via split decision. The bout took place at
Bellator 257
on April 16.
[86]
Davis lost the bout via unanimous decision, with Nemkov controlling the first three rounds on the feet.
[87]
Post Grand Prix
[
edit
]
Davis faced
Yoel Romero
, who was making his Bellator debut, on September 18, 2021, at
Bellator 266
.
[88]
He won the bout via split decision.
[89]
Five out of five media outlets scored the fight for Davis.
[90]
Davis faced
Julius Anglickas
on March 12, 2022, at
Bellator 276
.
[91]
He won the bout via unanimous decision.
[92]
Davis faced
Corey Anderson
on June 16, 2023, at
Bellator 297
.
[93]
He lost the fight via split decision.
[94]
Professional Fighters League
[
edit
]
Davis was expected to face
Rob Wilkinson
at
PFL 2
on April 6, 2024.
[95]
However, Davis withdrew from the bout due to an unknown reason and was replaced by
Tom Breese
.
[96]
Professional grappling career
[
edit
]
Davis will compete at EBI 21: The Absolutes on June 2, 2024.
[97]
Championships and achievements
[
edit
]
Collegiate wrestling
[
edit
]
Mixed martial arts
[
edit
]
Mixed martial arts record
[
edit
]
Professional record breakdown
32 matches
|
24 wins
|
7 losses
|
By knockout
|
6
|
0
|
By submission
|
5
|
0
|
By decision
|
13
|
7
|
No contests
|
1
|
Res.
|
Record
|
Opponent
|
Method
|
Event
|
Date
|
Round
|
Time
|
Location
|
Notes
|
Loss
|
24?7 (1)
|
Corey Anderson
|
Decision (split)
|
Bellator 297
|
June 16, 2023
|
3
|
5:00
|
Chicago, Illinois
, United States
|
|
Win
|
24?6 (1)
|
Julius Anglickas
|
Decision (unanimous)
|
Bellator 276
|
March 12, 2022
|
3
|
5:00
|
St. Louis, Missouri
, United States
|
|
Win
|
23?6 (1)
|
Yoel Romero
|
Decision (split)
|
Bellator 266
|
September 18, 2021
|
3
|
5:00
|
San Jose, California
, United States
|
|
Loss
|
22?6 (1)
|
Vadim Nemkov
|
Decision (unanimous)
|
Bellator 257
|
April 16, 2021
|
5
|
5:00
|
Uncasville, Connecticut
, United States
|
Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix
Quarterfinal. For the
Bellator Light Heavyweight World Championship
.
|
Win
|
22?5 (1)
|
Lyoto Machida
|
Decision (split)
|
Bellator 245
|
September 11, 2020
|
3
|
5:00
|
Uncasville, Connecticut
, United States
|
|
Win
|
21?5 (1)
|
Karl Albrektsson
|
TKO (punches)
|
Bellator 231
|
October 25, 2019
|
3
|
3:06
|
Uncasville, Connecticut
, United States
|
|
Win
|
20?5 (1)
|
Liam McGeary
|
TKO (jaw injury)
|
Bellator 220
|
April 27, 2019
|
3
|
4:11
|
San Jose, California
, United States
|
|
Loss
|
19?5 (1)
|
Vadim Nemkov
|
Decision (split)
|
Bellator 209
|
November 15, 2018
|
3
|
5:00
|
Tel Aviv
, Israel
|
|
Win
|
19?4 (1)
|
Linton Vassell
|
KO (head kick)
|
Bellator 200
|
May 25, 2018
|
3
|
1:05
|
London
, England
|
|
Win
|
18?4 (1)
|
Leonardo Leite
|
Decision (unanimous)
|
Bellator 186
|
November 3, 2017
|
3
|
5:00
|
University Park, Pennsylvania
, United States
|
|
Loss
|
17?4 (1)
|
Ryan Bader
|
Decision (split)
|
Bellator 180
|
June 24, 2017
|
5
|
5:00
|
New York City, New York
, United States
|
Lost the
Bellator Light Heavyweight World Championship
.
|
Win
|
17?3 (1)
|
Liam McGeary
|
Decision (unanimous)
|
Bellator 163
|
November 4, 2016
|
5
|
5:00
|
Uncasville, Connecticut
, United States
|
Won the
Bellator Light Heavyweight World Championship
.
|
Win
|
16?3 (1)
|
Muhammed Lawal
|
Decision (unanimous)
|
Bellator 154
|
May 14, 2016
|
3
|
5:00
|
San Jose, California
, United States
|
Bellator Light Heavyweight
world title eliminator.
|
Win
|
15?3 (1)
|
Francis Carmont
|
KO (punches)
|
Bellator 142: Dynamite 1
|
September 19, 2015
|
1
|
2:15
|
San Jose, California
, United States
|
Won the Bellator Light Heavyweight Grand Prix.
|
Win
|
14?3 (1)
|
Emanuel Newton
|
Submission (kimura)
|
1
|
4:39
|
Bellator Light Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinal.
|
Loss
|
13?3 (1)
|
Ryan Bader
|
Decision (split)
|
UFC on Fox: Gustafsson vs. Johnson
|
January 24, 2015
|
3
|
5:00
|
Stockholm
, Sweden
|
|
Win
|
13?2 (1)
|
Glover Teixeira
|
Decision (unanimous)
|
UFC 179
|
October 25, 2014
|
3
|
5:00
|
Rio de Janeiro
, Brazil
|
|
Loss
|
12?2 (1)
|
Anthony Johnson
|
Decision (unanimous)
|
UFC 172
|
April 26, 2014
|
3
|
5:00
|
Baltimore, Maryland
, United States
|
UFC Light Heavyweight
title eliminator.
|
Win
|
12?1 (1)
|
Lyoto Machida
|
Decision (unanimous)
|
UFC 163
|
August 3, 2013
|
3
|
5:00
|
Rio de Janeiro
, Brazil
|
|
Win
|
11?1 (1)
|
Vinny Magalhaes
|
Decision (unanimous)
|
UFC 159
|
April 27, 2013
|
3
|
5:00
|
Newark, New Jersey
, United States
|
|
Win
|
10?1 (1)
|
Wagner Prado
|
Submission (anaconda choke)
|
UFC 153
|
October 13, 2012
|
2
|
4:29
|
Rio de Janeiro
, Brazil
|
|
NC
|
9?1 (1)
|
Wagner Prado
|
NC (accidental eye poke)
|
UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera
|
August 4, 2012
|
1
|
1:28
|
Los Angeles, California
, United States
|
Accidental eye poke rendered Prado unable to continue.
|
Loss
|
9?1
|
Rashad Evans
|
Decision (unanimous)
|
UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis
|
January 28, 2012
|
5
|
5:00
|
Chicago, Illinois
, United States
|
UFC Light Heavyweight
title eliminator.
|
Win
|
9?0
|
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
|
Decision (unanimous)
|
UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis
|
March 26, 2011
|
3
|
5:00
|
Seattle, Washington
, United States
|
|
Win
|
8?0
|
Tim Boetsch
|
Submission (modified kimura)
|
UFC 123
|
November 20, 2010
|
2
|
2:55
|
Auburn Hills, Michigan
, United States
|
Submission of the Night.
|
Win
|
7?0
|
Rodney Wallace
|
Decision (unanimous)
|
UFC 117
|
August 7, 2010
|
3
|
5:00
|
Oakland, California
, United States
|
|
Win
|
6?0
|
Alexander Gustafsson
|
Submission (anaconda choke)
|
UFC 112
|
April 10, 2010
|
1
|
4:55
|
Abu Dhabi
, United Arab Emirates
|
|
Win
|
5?0
|
Brian Stann
|
Decision (unanimous)
|
UFC 109
|
February 6, 2010
|
3
|
5:00
|
Las Vegas
,
Nevada
, United States
|
|
Win
|
4?0
|
David Baggett
|
Submission (rear-naked choke)
|
Ultimate Cage FC 1
|
June 27, 2009
|
1
|
3:37
|
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, United States
|
|
Win
|
3?0
|
Terry Cohens
|
TKO (punches)
|
Ultimate Warrior Challenge 6
|
April 25, 2009
|
1
|
4:29
|
Fairfax, Virginia
, United States
|
|
Win
|
2?0
|
Josh Green
|
TKO (punches)
|
PFC 12: High Stakes
|
January 22, 2009
|
1
|
1:49
|
Lemoore, California
, United States
|
|
Win
|
1?0
|
Brett Chism
|
Decision (unanimous)
|
No Boundary 1
|
October 11, 2008
|
2
|
5:00
|
Plymouth, Massachusetts
, United States
|
|
[104]
NCAA record
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"UFC 109 Results"
(PDF)
. Boxing.nv.gov. February 6, 2010. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on March 2, 2012
. Retrieved
December 21,
2010
.
- ^
"Fight Card - UFC 172 Jones vs. Teixeira"
. UFC.com
. Retrieved
May 3,
2014
.
- ^
"Phil Davis signs with LionHeart"
.
Sherdog
. June 17, 2008.
- ^
a
b
c
"Fight Path: Self-professed "nerd" Phil Davis seeks structure in UFC debut"
.
MMAjunkie.com
. December 24, 2009.
- ^
Luke Thomas (February 14, 2024).
LUKE THOMAS *LIVE* with DOMINICK CRUZ | Live Interview and Fan Q & A
. Event occurs at 47m 35s – via YouTube.
- ^
Phil Davis [@philmrw] (August 19, 2020).
"It's been a long journey as a blue belt but that journey has now ended. Thanks to all my instructors who have poured knowledge into me as well as the love of this sport"
– via
Instagram
.
- ^
"Light Heavyweight (191.0-210.0 lbs) fighter ranks"
.
FightMatrix.com
. Retrieved
November 2,
2020
.
- ^
Sean Ross Sapp,
"Wikipedia Fact Check: Phil Davis, MMA Fighter And Tennis Star!??!"
Fightful, Oct. 25, 2019.
- ^
Penn State University Official Athletic Site ? Wrestling
Archived
October 25, 2017, at the
Wayback Machine
. Gopsusports.com. Retrieved on 2011-12-24.
- ^
"the First and Foremost Authority on MMA in PA - Home"
. Archived from
the original
on February 2, 2011
. Retrieved
August 5,
2010
.
- ^
"NCAA champ Phil Davis"
. sports.yahoo.com
. Retrieved
December 18,
2009
.
- ^
[1]
. Bjjlegends.com.
Archived
April 4, 2010, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"UFC signs NCAA champ Phil Davis"
. mmajunkie.com. December 17, 2009. Archived from
the original
on December 20, 2009
. Retrieved
May 7,
2024
.
- ^
"Phil Davis vs. Brian Stann added to UFC 109"
. mmajunkie.com. December 28, 2009. Archived from
the original
on January 1, 2010
. Retrieved
May 7,
2024
.
- ^
"UFC 109 Results and Live Play-by-Play"
.
Sherdog
. February 8, 2010.
- ^
"UFC 112: Phil Davis vs Alexander Gustafsson on tap for April 10"
. mmamania.com
. Retrieved
February 15,
2009
.
- ^
"UFC 112 Results & Live Play-by-Play"
.
Sherdog
. April 10, 2010.
- ^
"Phenom Davis gets a submission win to finish UFC 112 undercard"
. Yahoo! Sports. April 10, 2010
. Retrieved
January 2,
2011
.
- ^
"Phil Davis replaces injured Stanislav Nedkov, meets Rodney Wallace at UFC 117"
. mmajunkie.com. July 22, 2010. Archived from
the original
on July 11, 2012.
- ^
"UFC 117 Results & Live Play-by-Play"
.
Sherdog
. August 7, 2010.
- ^
"Tim Boetsch vs. Phil Davis tapped for UFC 123"
. mmajunkie.com. September 4, 2010. Archived from
the original
on July 12, 2012.
- ^
John Morgan (November 21, 2010).
"UFC 123 bonuses: Penn, Davis, Sotiropoulos and Lauzon earn $80,000 awards"
. mmajunkie.com. Archived from
the original
on July 11, 2012
. Retrieved
May 7,
2024
.
- ^
"Phil Davis vs. Matt Hamill targeted for UFC 129 in Toronto"
. mmajunkie.com. January 7, 2011. Archived from
the original
on August 11, 2011.
- ^
Steven Marrocco (February 16, 2011).
"Jason Brilz and Phil Davis targeted for UFC 129 matchup"
. mmajunkie.com. Archived from
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Mike Chiappetta (April 27, 2013).
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. bjpenn.com. September 19, 2015.
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"
'King Mo' out, Carmont in vs. Phil Davis in Bellator LHW tournament final"
. bloodyelbow.com. September 20, 2015.
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"Bellator 142 results: Phil Davis shuts down replacement Franics Carmont to win tourney"
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"Bealltor Dynamite co-main event recap: Phil Davis knocks out Francis Carmont"
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"Bellator 142 results: McGeary retains belt, gets Phil Davis in next title defense"
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a
b
Phil Davis
Archived
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. wrestlinghalloffame.org
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a
b
Mike Bohn (March 9, 2022).
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"UFC 123 bonuses: Four Fighters earn $80K"
. sherdog.com. November 20, 2010.
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Thomas Gerbasi (December 14, 2010).
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External links
[
edit
]
Media related to
Phil Davis (fighter)
at Wikimedia Commons