By Duane Finley

Phil Davis is in good spirits these days.

Not only does the former NCAA Div. I National Champion wrestler turned top-ranked light heavyweight fighter believe his fight game has never been better, but “Mr. Wonderful” finally feels he’s working with a promotion who appreciates him.

Davis made the rounds on MMA media headlines when he departed from the UFC to pursue fighting under the Bellator banner. It’s a decision validated ten times over in Davis’ mind, and he’s looking forward to what the future holds fighting inside the Bellator cage.

“I’m just pumped up to fight for a company that believes in me and I believe in them the same way,” Davis said. “I love how Bellator promotes their fighters because they really take a ‘fighter first’ approach. That fires me up to go out there go nuts and have fun.”

Davis wasted no time making his presence felt in his new home as he earned back-to-back finishes in his first two outings for Bellator. While submitting former 205-pound champion Emanuel Newton in his debut was enough to grab attention, it was his first round starching of fellow UFC veteran Francis Carmont in the Bellator Light Heavyweight Grand Prix finals that took the buzz he created to a new level.

Yet, MMA is a crazy game and things don’t always play out as they are scheduled to go. Davis was initially slated to fight Muhammed Lawal in the tournament finals, but “King Mo” was forced out of the tilt with injury. As a seasoned professional Davis did his best to pay it no mind, and simply handled the new task placed in his path.

His win over Carmont was supposed to garner a shot against current champion Liam McGeary, but in another unfortunate twist of fate, the rangy Brit wouldn’t be ready. Davis would have to take another fight before getting a shot at championship gold, and the roller coaster ride continued as Lawal stepped in to fill the space left vacant by the current titleholder.

“I’m a little confused,” Davis asked. “Are you suggesting [Lawal] is going to pull out again? Is this breaking news because if it is I wasn’t made aware of it. The media knows things from time to time so I just wanted to check.

“That’s the fight game. Injuries happen and things get moved around. I don’t worry about that stuff. My job is to make sure I’m there and whoever is going to step into that cage is getting Phil Davis.”

All of this certainly could have spun Davis’ head around, but he’s ready to fight. While throwing fists and slamming folks to the canvas is how he earns his living, the soft heart beating underneath his chest wishes his peers in the elite tier of the light heavyweight the best of health.

“It is at the point where I’m praying for these guys to stop getting hurt,” Davis said. “I want them to stop getting injured so I can fight them. I want to fight McGeary next and I’m looking to get my hand raised in this next fight so I can can get my hands on that belt. If [McGeary] gets hurt again there will probably be an interim belt.

“I’m not going to tell Scott Coker what to do because he’s my boss, but I think there should be an interim title if McGeary still can’t go after this next one.

There is no mistaking the fact Davis and Lawal are two of the most prominent names on the promotional roster, and their upcoming collision at Bellator 154 is sure to bring a lot of interest to the card. The organization has garnered the spotlight in recent months by putting on a unique variety of marquee bouts, but Davis vs. Lawal has a different feel about it.

For the past several years Lawal has been one of the biggest talents competing outside of the UFC, but talented opponents have been difficult to find. On the flip side Davis has faced and defeated some of the best talent recognized in the overall fight game, and their matchup sparks the beginning of a new chapter for the Los Angeles-based promotion.

“Scott Coker would probably say he loves this card,” Davis laughed. “I don’t involve myself with the pressure of the moment because that only leads to a bad performance. I just go out there and have a great time. This is definitely a big time in the history of Bellator. We’ve already seen them put up big numbers and they are going to continue to put on big fights.”

Davis will bring his momentum and an impressive resume into fight, but also believes the wrestling pedigree they both share is strongly tilted in his favor. As a matter of fact, Davis feels due to what happened in Lawal’s most recent bout, the former All-American wrestler from Oklahoma State University lost his stripes at the hands of Linton Vassell.

“There’s no pride between wrestlers here and I’ll tell you why,” Davis said. “In Mo’s last fight in Bellator he got sky'd--not taken down, not tripped, no slip--but sky'd by his opponent. I’m talking about rooftop, over the shoulder and aired out by a guy from Britain. Listen, I don’t know if you know anything about wrestling in the U.K. but the conversation ends right there. All accolades are off the table. That was a rough moment. I’m sure he wishes he could redo that one.”