Bellator 186 results: Phil Davis outworks gritty Leo Leite for unanimous decision

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Leo Leite wasn’t an easy out for Phil Davis, but the former champ got the job done Friday night in front of his home fans.

Davis (18-4-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) took a unanimous decision from Leite (10-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) and handed the Brazilian his first MMA setback. Davis, a former Penn State wrestling All-American, took a trio of 30-27 scores for the sweep.

The light heavyweight bout was part of the main card of today’s Bellator 186 event at Bryce Jordan Center on Penn State’s campus in University Park, Pa. It aired on Spike following prelims on MMAjunkie.

Davis pawed a jab out, then threw a right kick in the first 15 seconds. Then the right hands came. About 45 seconds into the fight, Leite drove in and tried to push Davis to the cage. Davis reversed things and put Leite’s back on the fence. Leite, a judo standout, Nearly tripped Davis down. But moments later, Davis took him to the canvas. There, Leite threatened with a leglock, but Davis shucked it off and used a headlock to get to a better position.

Back on the feet in the center midway through, Leite landed a solid punch, then tried a looping right hand that Davis blocked. Davis’ left hand was just off the mark twice, but a thudding leg kick after that was the best strike of the fight. A left hook followed for Davis, and a kick hurt Leite right after that. Davis started to load up with 90 seconds left and looked for a fight-ending opening.

He stalked Leite down, but Leite landed a counter left that briefly wobbled Davis. And after another Davis leg kick, a right hand landed, as well. Davis came forward with his hands slightly down, then missed a Superman punch. But his straight right was on the money seconds later. Leite stayed in the pocket, though, and was able to land a solid punch before the round’s end.

Davis landed a right, then a left quickly into the second and continued to walk Leite down. But seconds later, Leite caught a finger in the eye and got a reprieve while the doctor looked at him. On the restart, Davis shot for a takedown, but it wasn’t there. A head kick missed after that, and Leite seemed motivated by a coupel solid punches that were on the mark. Midway through, Davis threw a pair of wild punches, then pushed Leite to the fence. He landed a kick on the break, but the two tied up again seconds later. The action faded down the stretch in the round and went to the third.

Davis put together a combination of several punches a minute into the final round, then backed away from Leite’s counter. A body kick was on the mark not long after, and 90 seconds in Davis went after a takedown. Leite was able to turn it around with his judo background, but it was back to the feet quickly for both. Davis just missed a head kick midway through, then fended off some big offensive attempts from Leite before turning in some of his own. When Leite missed a punch, Davis tried to take him down. But with two minutes left, it wasn’t there. Davis landed a big left with 90 seconds left, then pushed Leite to the fence. Davis stayed after a finish late in the frame, but it wasn’t there.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 186 results include:

• Phil Davis def. Leo Leite via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Ed Ruth def. Chris Dempsey via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 0:27
• Saad Awad def. Zach Freeman via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:07
• Scott Clymer def. Michael Benjamin Putnam via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:07
• Mike Wilkins def. Brett Martinez via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:09
• Michael Trizano def. Mike Otwell via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 2, 2:07
• Dominic Mazzotta def. Matthew Lozano via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 1, 2:37
• Logan Storley def. Matt Secor via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
• Tywan Claxton def. Jonathan Bonilla-Bowman via knockout (flying knee) – Round 1, 1:29
• Frankie Buenafuente def. Francis Healy via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Andrew Salas def. Ethan Goss via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Josh Fremd def. Ryan Parker via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:25

For complete coverage of Bellator 186, check out the MMA Events section of the site.