Fighters Only

Issue 129

June 2015

PHIL DAVIS SIGNS WITH BELLATOR

Former UFC light heavyweight contender Phil Davis has signed a long-term, multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA.

‘Mr Wonderful’ completed the final bout of his Zuffa contract when he lost a split points decision to Ryan Bader at UFC on Fox 14 in Stockholm, Sweden

in January.

The former NCAA Division I champion will now call the Viacom-owned promotion home after spending five years in the Octagon.

“I can’t wait to be fighting in Bellator and wreck shop on everyone,” said Davis. “I am the absolute best and most dominant grappler to ever fight in MMA, and I’m excited to get in there and compete at my new home.”

Davis is expected to compete against the organization’s top light heavies including ‘King Mo’ Lawal, Emanuel Newton and newly crowned champion Liam McGeary. Bellator president Scott Coker was excited at the prospect of the 30-year-old’s switch.

“Phil is a world class mixed martial artist, and we are very happy to be adding him to our roster of some of the best light heavyweights in the world,” he said. “Bellator remains fully committed to building its world-class roster by signing top free agents like Davis, as well as grooming up-and-coming stars.

“We’ve got some amazing matchups in mind for Mr Wonderful that we will be announcing in the weeks to come.”

FO SCORE: Phil Davis signing with Bellator may be a sign of things to come. Perhaps fighters at the top finally have a competitive choice to make between the world’s two top-tier promotions at least.

BROCK THE ENTERTAINER

As we hinted at in last month’s issue, Brock Lesnar officially closed the door on his MMA career by re-signing with WWE at the end of March. He accepted that at 37 he just didn’t have the fire in his belly to climb back to the top inside the Octagon.

The former UFC heavyweight champion said: “It was a very hard decision at this stage of my career. The fighter inside me wants to compete. The father and husband... Y’know, I’m an older caveman now. I make wiser caveman decisions. So, I’m here to say my legacy in the Octagon is over.

“It was a hard decision to make. I’ve thought about this for a year. At the end of the day, it’s all about me wanting to have fun. For the last two and a half months I’ve been training to get back into the Octagon. I felt physically great, but something lacked mentally – and that’s not good.”

FO SCORE: Lesnar’s return would have been emphatic in regard to PPV numbers, but it’s unlikely he could have recreated the success of his first stint in MMA, which ended in 2011 following back-to-back losses.

6.845m

Brock Lesnar drew 6,845,000 pay-per-view purchases during his seven-fight UFC tenure.

At time of going to print, Vitor Belfort had been drug tested five times by the Nevada State Athletic Commission ahead of his middleweight title shot, scheduled for UFC 187.

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