UFC 159: 5 Fights for Phil Davis to Take Next

UFC 159 saw the return of Phil Davis, who took on newly minted rival Vinny Magalhaes. The fight was made in the aftermath of an online campaign by Magalhaes to get the fight through insults and poking Davis.

Davis used superior striking in a lackluster bout against the Brazilian. Nevertheless, he stayed in the win column and will get a top-10 opponent in his next fight.

Here are five fights Davis could take next.  

Ryan Bader

Two guys that are cut from almost the same mold are Ryan Bader and Phil Davis. With them being in around the same spot in the division, a fight between them would make sense.

Both men are top-level wrestlers with great strength, power and athleticism. Neither is very technical on his feet, but Bader does have one-punch knockout power. 

It could grace any main card the UFC puts on. 

Gegard Mousasi

Gegard Mousasi was supposed to have a high-profile UFC debut against Alexander Gustafsson, but a pre-fight cut took Gustafsson off the card. Instead, he took on the debuting Ilir Latifi, who was unknown to most fans in the MMA world.

Mousasi needs a couple more fights before title talks begin. Taking on Gustafsson teammate Phil Davis would test Mousasi's takedown defense, which was exposed against Muhammed Lawal.

A win for either man would launch them near the top five. 

Thiago Silva-Rafael Cavalcante Winner

Thiago Silva and Rafael Cavalcante are supposed to throw down in Brazil in the upcoming months, and the winner should get a crack at "Mr. Wonderful."

Both men are power strikers that need to be tested by a wrestler. Of course, Davis could fit that bill against the eventual winner of this fight. 

Wanderlei Silva

Wanderlei Silva is likely staying at 205, especially after the exciting drubbing against Brian Stann in Japan. He is still a huge draw and should continue to be used there.

Silva is in about the same spot in the division as Phil Davis, which justifies hosting this fight. Davis' wrestling would contrast against Silva's reckless striking style in a tense chess match of a bout.

Either Davis would go to sleep or the judges would award Davis the win.

Glover Teixeira-James Te Huna Winner

Glover Teixeira and James Te Huna are slated to fight soon, and the winner could provide Phil Davis with an opponent. 

Te Huna is a powerful takedown artist and striker. He could present an interesting stylistic matchup against Davis. Teixeira is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with bricks for hands that could knock out any man in the UFC.

Either man would be a great opponent for Davis. For now, we just wait for the next matchmaking decision to be made.