Phil Davis thinks Jon Jones may still back out of UFC 172 title defense

Phil Davis is scheduled to fight Anthony Johnson at UFC 172, but “Mr. Wonderful” is preparing for a number of options, including a shot at an interim title.

After all, while UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is scheduled to defend his undisputed title at the April 26 event, Davis thinks “Bones” may still decide it’s not in his best interest to compete.

“He may not fight at UFC 172,” Davis told MMAjunkie. “It’s not too late for him to back out of this one. It’s happened before.”

Jones (19-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) is expected to face Brazilian slugger Glover Teixeira (22-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) at UFC 172, which takes place at Maryland’s Baltimore Arena and airs on pay-per-view. The bout has taken some time to materialize, as it was initially announced for the main event of February’s UFC 169 before then being reported for UFC 170 later that month.

Those delays led some to wonder aloud whether Jones was trying to push for a different fight, a fact that isn’t lost on Davis (12-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC), who meets Johnson (16-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) on the same card. And of course, while it’s been more than 18 months since the much-maligned cancellation of UFC 151 – which Jones was scheduled to headline – the champ still gets his share of criticism for his role in the unfortunate scenario.

Davis isn’t so sure Jones won’t withdraw again, but this time “Mr. Wonderful” said he’ll be available to save the show.

“I’m ready for a title shot whenever it’s available,” Davis said. “If he happens to back out of this fight for whatever reason, I’m willing to take on Glover Teixeira for an interim championship.”

Check out the video above to hear more from Davis ahead of UFC 172.

For the latest on UFC 172, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.