UFC Fight Night 24 Results: Five Fights Phil Davis Should Take Next

At UFC Fight Night 24, Phil Davis earned a hard-fought win over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Although it wasn't the dominant win that some expected, Davis' performance should earn him a step up in competition.

The light heavyweight division has a long list of contenders and former champions, so Davis still has some work to do before he can be considered for a title shot. Here are some opponents that could help Davis take the next step toward fighting for a championship.

Rich Franklin

Coming off of a loss against Forrest Griffin, Rich Franklin is probably the least likely of these five fighters to fight Phil Davis next. Still, Franklin would provide another good veteran test for Davis.

This would be an important fight for Franklin as well. A win over Davis would show that Franklin can still hang with the new breed of light heavyweights in the UFC and would smash any rumored thoughts of retirement that surfaced after the loss to Griffin.

Lyoto Machida

Lyoto Machida has lost two fights in a row, but would regain a lot of momentum if he is able to defeat Randy Couture at UFC 129. If he wants to dethrone Jon Jones as champion, it will be important for Phil Davis to test himself against another unorthodox striker like Machida.

If Couture defeats Machida, he would more than likely have a lack of interest in a fight with Davis. Couture has stated that he is only interested in intriguing fights at this point in his career and that would seem to only include fighters who have already established themselves in the sport. 

Ryan Bader

Ryan Bader is currently scheduled to meet Tito Ortiz at UFC 132 in July 2011. If Bader is able to win that fight, a meeting with Phil Davis would make for an interesting fight between two young stars in the light heavyweight division.

A bout with Bader would provide an excellent measuring stick of where Davis stands in his progression as an MMA fighter in comparison with Jones, who completely dismantled Bader at UFC 126 in February 2011.

If Ortiz defeats Bader, a match-up with Davis would seem unlikely. Like Couture, Ortiz would most likely be most interested in fighting established fighters and former champions at this point in his career. While Bader does not really meet either of those requirements, Ortiz seemed to have been forced into the fight with no other options available.

Thiago Silva

After having issues with his pre-fight drug test for his UFC 125 fight against Brandon Vera, Thiago Silva's situation remains foggy. As Silva's status becomes more clear. Phil Davis will have time to recover from the unknown injuries that he mentioned in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.

Silva is coming off of a dominant win over Brandon Vera and has only lost twice in his career. Those two losses came against former champions Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans. The winner of a fight between Davis and Silva could be one big win away from fighting for the belt.   

Forrest Griffin

After an embarrassing loss to Anderson Silva, Forrest Griffin has won back-to-back fights against former UFC champions Tito Ortiz and Rich Franklin. Because of his toughness and pressuring style, Griffin is the ultimate test for any rising light heavyweight.

If Griffin is able to use his size to defend Davis' takedowns, he will take the fight to Davis on their feet and force the young light heavyweight to prove his progression in his striking. If Davis is able to run through Griffin, it will go a long way toward showing that he is ready to compete for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

UFC Fight Night 24: Results, News and More

Sean Smith is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @BR_Sean_Smith