ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The way things sit in Bellator’s light heavyweight division, Phil Davis very well could be next in line for a title shot.
But that’s not something the former champion is going to worry too much about. At this stage of his career, he’s just about done it all. If a shot at reclaiming the belt comes, it comes.
Champion Vadim Nemkov is set to defend the title in the light heavyweight grand prix final against Corey Anderson next month at Bellator 277 in San Jose, Calif. Davis (24-6 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) this past Saturday dominated recent title challenger Julius Anglickas (10-3 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) for a unanimous decision win in the Bellator 276 co-main event – and may have cemented himself as the de facto next on the list for the winner.
But he won’t let himself worry about whether or not he’ll get the next shot.
“What’s next from me is an ice bath, two ibuprofens, and we’ll go from there,” Davis told MMA Junkie after his win over Anglickas. “… Honestly, it’s just about beating whoever’s in front of me. I love fighting, I love preparing, I love training. I want to beat whoever’s in the cage with me.”
Davis has four losses in the past more than seven years in Bellator – two to Nemkov and two to heavyweight champ and former light heavyweight champ Ryan Bader. Both his Bader losses were by split decision, and one of his two decision setbacks to Nemkov was a split call. His first loss to Bader was Davis’ final fight in the UFC before he moved to Bellator.
Along with not stressing about potential title shots, Davis said he also can’t worry a ton about avenging losses to either of those two – particularly because he’s not keen on moving up to heavyweight to fight Bader.
“I’ve got to go up to heavyweight to fight Bader, and to tell you the truth, he looks fairly unstoppable at heavyweight,” Davis said. “I hate to say it. I hate to say it, but I’m going to call a spade a spade. So if he brings his butt back down, I’ll have my chance.”
Check out the full post-fight interview with Davis in the video above.
Phil Davis won’t stress much yet about potential title shot after Bellator 276