Before he assumed the coveted Bellator Light Heavyweight World Championship title, Phil Davis just wanted to visit the rainforest.
Luckily, a whirlwind start to his professional mixed martial arts career would present the former Penn State wrestler with the chance to compete at UFC 163 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
Weeks before his highly-anticipated match against Brazilian fighter Lyoto Machida, Davis witnessed a brutal interaction at a Brazilian soccer match that resulted in the death of a player and a referee – illuminating the exasperating tension in Brazilian athletics.
"That is a lot to take in the week before your supposed to go down to Brazil to fight a Brazilian national treasure," Davis said. "It's not worth all that for me. And there was definitely a lot of pressure going into that fight."
Apprehensive about his upcoming fight, Davis decided to set aside his dreams of exploring the Amazon to focus solely on his strict training regimen.
Despite the pressures leading up to their 2013 bout, Davis prevailed by a unanimous decision – establishing himself as a force in the UFC Light Heavyweight division. It was after this fight that Davis gained the confidence to fuel him into the championship and beyond.
"The first time he fought me, I was still very young and only had less than 12 fights under my belt. Now I'm much more mature and have a rounded game that I can do knockouts with both hands and at least one foot," Davis laughed. "I now feel comfortable anywhere the fight takes place, but that just wasn't true the first time I fought."
As a Penn State wrestling alumnus, Davis is no stranger to competition. The former Nittany Lion surpassed expectations his freshman year by securing a starting position. He then went on to dominate each weight class he entered, and by junior year, clinched a fifth place finish at the NCAA Individual Championship.
"I had a great time at Penn State. We had the most dedicated fans," Davis said. "Our fans become family because they traveled and cheer us on. It's just such a great community to be brought up in athletically."
In true Nittany Lion nature, Davis exceeded all expectations and rounded out his senior year with a first-place finish at nationals and an overall record of 116-20.
"The achievement I have always been most proud of was obviously winning a Division I national title," Davis said. "But honestly, just being able to make the lineup my freshman year was the moment that set off the domino effect – the chain reaction. I attribute a lot of my success to that moment."
Little did he know, that senior title wouldn't be the last he'd see in his career.
Upon graduation, the four-time All-American was quick to start his MMA training regimen with an elite team of professionals, coaches and mentors. While he first prevailed in Brazilian Ju-Jitsu, Davis continued scrapping until making his first professional breakthrough by signing with the UFC in 2009.
"It was difficult for me to go from wrestling where I have a high understanding of what to do and when to do it, to a sport where I don't know most of the positions at all. It's frustrating," Davis sighed. "Going from a place of high confidence to low confidence is challenging. But that's how life is, you have to keep adapting and training."
With all of the adversity Davis has overcome in both his collegiate and professional career, he felt rather prepared to take on an anticipated rematch against Machida. The two fighters met again as the main event of Bellator 245 on September 11, 2020.
Though seven years had passed from their first bout, history repeated itself as the former Nittany Lion defeated Machida via split decision. Davis learned not to dwell on victory, however, as he has bigger goals for the future.
"I plan to reach the title by beating up any contender who gets in the cage with me. And that pretty much makes the case for me that I'm in the running for another championship," Davis said. "As far as how to get there, I think I've done enough already."
When he's in the ring, Davis assumes the alter ego of "Mr. Wonderful" – a name that derives from his college house cat. But as soon as he steps out of the ring, the former Nittany Lion stays consistently active – especially being a father.
"I'm passionate about photography. I try to document everything my kids do," Davis said. "I also enjoy hiking and nature. Pretty much everything I do is being active since I have such an active lifestyle. I enjoy that."
Fueled by his seasoned experiences and family support, Davis is looking to recapture another Bellator title in the future. With his three-straight victories this year, Davis thinks that goal is looking more realistic every coming day.
"My job is very simple. All I have to do is go in and punch the other guy more than he punches me," Davis laughed. "I try not to overthink the external motivation and intrinsic influences to really drive me off of my bread and butter. All I have to do is perform at the highest level – and how simple is that?"
