THERE AREN'T many moments in his mixed martial arts career Phil Davis regrets.
Certainly not the opponents he has had to injure and embarrass to make his commanding rise to the top of UFC's light-heavyweight division.
Or the exchange of insults he's had with fellow UFC light-heavyweights, specifically Rashad Evans in preparation for their upcoming main event tomorrow at UFC on Fox 2 from the United Center in Chicago.
Missing his chance at Evans when UFC's caravan rolled into Philadelphia last August for UFC 133 at the Wells Fargo Center? Well, that's one thing Davis, a Harrisburg native, can't shrug off so easily.
Davis (9-0 UFC, MMA), who quickly rose to the elite ranks of UFC's light-heavyweight division, had a chance to capture his 10th win in 10 UFC contests against Evans as the main event in Philadelphia. Elated to have an opportunity in front of family and friends who only needed to travel about an hour south on the Northeast Extension, Davis suffered a knee injury in training just weeks before the card. The injury not only cost Davis his chance at Evans earlier, but kept him out of action for 10 months. In the meantime, Evans collected his sixth victory in his last seven matches after punishing UFC legend Tito Ortiz into considering retirement in the second round of their main event at UFC 133.
"I was bumming, man, I was really bumming," Davis said during a phone interview Wednesday. "I still wish this fight could have gone down in Philly. I was upset I had to tell all my family and friends that were coming that I wasn't going after it . . . it wasn't meant to be, man."
With his knee and his confidence now at 100 percent, Davis steps into the Octagon tomorrow in a bout that will determine who will be the rightful No. 1 contender for the light-heavyweight title, a title held by rival Jon "Bones" Jones. Jones, along with Evans and Davis, is part of a trio that has had quite a back-and-forth in terms of trash talk and generating hype. Currently, the focus has surrounded Evans and Davis as Evans (16-1-1 UFC, 21-1-1 MMA) had the following to say about Davis, the man known around MMA circles as "Mr. Wonderful."
