UFC Light Heavyweight Phil Davis No Longer Under Contract with Zuffa

Perennial UFC light heavyweight contender Phil Davis is no longer under contract with Zuffa, but the company does hold exclusive negotiating rights.

Davis finished out the last fight on his contract when he took on Ryan Bader at UFC on Fox 14 last month. According to a report on Wednesday night's edition of UFC Tonight, per MMA Fighting, Davis remains a restricted free agent as Zuffa retains a window of exclusive negotiation with Mr. Wonderful.

Sources in Davis' camp told Fox Sports broadcaster Ariel Helwani that he will not be able to field any outside offers as of yet.

There's no clear-cut timetable on how long Zuffa's exclusive period of negotiation actually is. When former UFC lightweight title challenger Gilbert Melendez's contract expired last February, UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta told ESPN.com's Brett Okamoto, "I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to consider."

Mr. Wonderful boasts a UFC record of 9-3-1 and made his Octagon debut in February 2010.

The former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler from Penn State University is one of the promotion's most consistent combatants. Davis owns notable victories over Brazilian strikers Lyoto Machida and Glover Teixeira, earning him the nickname "The Brazilian Killer."

Davis, though, has been known to shrink under the spotlight. Sandwiched in between wins over Machida and Teixeira is an April loss to current 205-pound top contender Anthony Johnson.

The California-based fighter previously lost a title eliminator to former light heavyweight champion and Division I wrestler Rashad Evans in January 2012. These lopsided losses will likely be a factor in negotiations, as the report also said, "Davis is willing to stay with Zuffa, but he wants to cash in a the right offer."

Given the recent Melendez example, it will be interesting to see how negotiations go for Davis. Will he try and play hardball?

The former Strikeforce lightweight titleholder drove a hard bargain and was awarded with a coaching position on the 20th season of The Ultimate Fighter and an immediate title shot against Anthony Pettis.

Davis hasn't been outspoken regarding his employer like former 205-pound champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has in the past, and that is sure to bode well for him going forward. How Davis' negotiation with the UFC will play out is a mystery, but one thing is for certain: He's in for a bumpy ride.