UFC 179 Results: 3 Fights for Phil Davis to Take Next
UFC 179 was a solid showing for Phil Davis—a night for him to remind the world that he's actually pretty good at this MMA thing. He kept Glover Teixeira guessing for their entire bout, holding his own on the feet and dominating the action on the ground.
While many were eulogizing his career after a convincing loss to Anthony Johnson only a few short months ago, Davis is now right back in the mix of contention and will be looking to climb the ladder that much more in his next bout. It's hard to find guys that will allow him to do it though, given the logjam nipping at the heels of Jon Jones and the fact that most of those guys will fight each other or have already fought Davis.
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With that in mind, and the reality that he'll likely fight down the rankings in his next bout also in mind, here are three suggestions for who he should see across the cage.
Both men were once hot prospects as wrestlers who were riding raw athleticism to the highest peaks of the UFC. Both were set back at various points and in various ways, and now they've each settled into a role on the fringe of the divisional elite. They match up well, with Davis holding the athletic advantage and Bader holding the power advantage, while their wrestling pretty much cancels out.
If they meet up, the winner would become a contender, while the loser would become a forgotten entity in the Top 10, once and for all. At a time when the division is fairly stagnant, those are the highest stakes imaginable for either guy.
It's a pretty intriguing bout overall, one that probably makes the most sense for Davis going forward.
Ovince Saint Preux
Saint Preux is a freak athlete on the level of Davis. Even though he's coming off a loss, there's a lot to like in matching up the two. Saint Preux is still something of an unknown commodity in the Top 10, while Davis has never fought a man of such sheer power and athletic pedigree.
A win for Davis shows that he can handle someone as uniquely skilled as Saint Preux, a win for Saint Preux erases his recent loss to Ryan Bader and re-establishes him as a potential contender going into 2015.
At this stage in the game, with so many cards and so few options available for a man at the level of Davis in the light heavyweight division, this one could take place as an appealing bout built on circumstance.
Winner of Shogun Rua vs. Jimi Manuwa
Regardless of who comes out on top in the bout between Rua and Manuwa, he'll get a bump in the rankings and lay claim to another elite opponent.
Davis, fresh off his impressive defeat of Teixeira and with limited options, could be that opponent. It's no particular secret that he handles strikers with ease thanks to his powerful double-leg and natural ranginess, but one can never have too many signature wins on a resume and for Davis, either of Rua or Manuwa would look nice while he's waiting for the upper crust of the division to sort itself out.
The schedules line up and all parties involved have similar stakes in the title hunt, so there could be something to like there for fans and the UFC.
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