UFC: 3 Potential Fights for Phil Davis

Phil Davis hasn't fought since winning a unanimous decision over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC Fight Night 24 on March 26.

He was originally going to fight Rashad Evans at UFC 133, but he suffered a knee injury and was forced to pull out.

Now when he makes his return, he'll be looking for a big-name opponent to thrust himself into the upper tier of the division and hopefully make a title run at Jon Jones.

These three opponents would provide a suitable launching pad for Davis' career.

Forrest Griffin

Forrest Griffin is coming off a first-round knockout loss at UFC 134 at the hands of Shogun Rua.

It would all but appear that Forrest's chances of holding the title again are gone and he appears to be an upper-tier gatekeeper, unless something big changes with Forrest.

Griffin would be a good test for Davis.

Tito Ortiz

They could do this fight if they were looking to either:

A. Get Phil Davis a big name on his resume.
B. Give Tito Ortiz the nickname "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy Prospect Slayer."

The nickname would be a bit wordy, but this would be a win-win for the UFC.

Get Phil Davis a nice name, or get to keep one of the biggest names in the UFC near the upper echelon of the division.

Thiago Silva

This one is the fight that I feel makes the most sense.

Davis was injured and could be coming back at around that time as Silva.

Silva provides a good test for the up-and-comer, and for Silva, a fight with Davis would be a good comeback.

It would be a test for both men to see where they stand in the division.

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Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow me on twitter @tmt2393.