Phil Davis
"Mr. Wonderful"
Cuts the cage, changes levels, drowns opponents in control time.
Fight Plan: Phil Davis
A coach-ready game plan — historical weaknesses opponents have exploited and what to drill in camp.
- Relatively low striking output can lead to losing close rounds on volume
- Has struggled against power punchers with elite takedown defense
- Drill takedown defense and cage-wall scrambles
- Stack southpaw sparring partners in camp
- Underhook battles and posture work off the back
Fighter fingerprint
Six-axis profile — the shape tells you the style at a glance.
Wrestling and Cardio are the standout edges; opponents should expect their game plan to lean on these. Finishing is the lowest axis — exploit it.
- Aggression57
- Cardio88
- Wrestling96
- Fight IQ85
- Distance Control88
- Finishing48
Prep for camp: Phil Davis
Recommendations a coach can act on tomorrow — opponent tendencies, drills, and the sparring styles to stack against this fight.
- Utilizes an elite NCAA wrestling base to control opponents against the cage and on the mat
- Employs a high-volume jab and outside leg kicks to maintain distance and scoring
- Focuses on a low-risk, defensive striking approach to minimize damage while looking for reactive takedowns
- Drill reactive sprawls — bait the shot off your right hand
- Match their pace through round 2, then turn the screws in 3
- Win exchanges with volume, not single shots — they walk through power
- Posture and frame drills off bottom — never give up the back
- Mix unscripted looks in sparring — they thrive on patterns
- Southpaw pressure striker
- Chain-wrestling D1 partner
- Black-belt grappler comfortable on bottom
- Marathon partner — 5x5 hard rounds, no rest
See it on film
Every read above should be verifiable. Jump straight to the footage on the platforms that host it legally — official channels first, archive sites second.
Entries, cage control, scrambles, submissions
Last 3 performances, full rounds and post-fight breakdowns
Coaches: official clip embeds per fighter are coming next — for now, deep links open searches pre-filtered to Phil Davis.
How Phil has changed
Trend lines across the last three years of tape.
Synthesized from recent fight tape · refresh to recompute
Stylistic neighbors
Closest matches across attributes, finish profile, and discipline — useful for sparring partner selection.
Status / Injuries
No recent injuries reported following PFL 2025 appearance
Checked 6/21/2026
Recent Form
- L2025-06-27vs Sullivan CauleyU-DEC · R3 · PFL 2025 World Tournament 7
- Wvs Rob WilkinsonU-DEC · R3 · PFL
- L2015-01-24vs Ryan BaderS-DEC · R3 · UFC on FOX: Gustafsson vs Johnson
- W2014-10-25vs Glover TeixeiraU-DEC · R3 · UFC 179: Aldo vs Mendes 2
- L2014-04-26vs Anthony JohnsonU-DEC · R3 · UFC 172: Jones vs Teixeira
Availability
Currently competing under the PFL banner
Attribute Profile
Scouting Summary
Phil Davis is an elite-tier wrestler and former Bellator champion known for his world-class grappling and incredible durability. He excels at neutralizing offensive threats by controlling the range and pace of the fight, having never been finished in his professional career.
Primary source ↗Tendencies
- Utilizes an elite NCAA wrestling base to control opponents against the cage and on the mat
- Employs a high-volume jab and outside leg kicks to maintain distance and scoring
- Focuses on a low-risk, defensive striking approach to minimize damage while looking for reactive takedowns
Signature Moves
- Mr. Wonderful Crank (Modified Kimura)
- Anaconda Choke
- High-amplitude double leg takedown
- Lateral drop from over-under clinch
Weaknesses
- Relatively low striking output can lead to losing close rounds on volume
- Has struggled against power punchers with elite takedown defense