UFC on FOX 14’s Phil Davis explains why ‘I’m the best grappler there is in this division’

Phil Davis

STOCKHOLM – Phil Davis isn’t backing down from a recent comment with which he appointed himself the best grappler in the UFC light-heavyweight division.

From reigning 205-pound champion Jon Jones to contenders such as Daniel Cormier and Rashad Evans, several talented grapplers can be found in the UFC’s competitive weight class.

Davis (13-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who’s ranked No. 6 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA light-heavyweight rankings, believes he’s the best of the best, though, and said he’ll be ready to prove it when he faces another talented grappler, No. 8-ranked Ryan Bader (18-4 MMA, 11-4 UFC), Saturday at UFC on FOX 14 at Stockholm’s Tele2 Arena. The matchup takes placed on the FOX-televised main card following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

“I am the best grappler there is in this division,” Davis told MMAjunkie. “It’s just the truth. I’ve got with everybody there is to grapple with. I’m just much smoother. I have better transitions. I have just overall a better control game. The guys that know better will tell you so.”

Davis may be boastful about his ground skills, but that confidence is justified. “Mr. Wonderful” is tied for the third most submission victories in UFC light-heavyweight history behind Jones and Renato “Babalu” Sobral, and he’s the only fighter in UFC history to finish two fights via anaconda choke. He’s also landed 31 takedowns in UFC competition, the fourth most in divisional history.

His upcoming opponent isn’t bad on the ground, either. Bader has landed 39 takedowns in his UFC career and has the same amount of career submission wins, but he’s only forced one opponent to tap out under the UFC banner.

Davis and Bader have history outside the octagon. They met in their college wrestling days, and Penn State’s Davis scored the win over Arizona State’s Bader. However, they put little stock in the wrestling matchup.

“It was a decade ago,” Davis said. “We were practically kids. We were practically still drinking out of bottles. I just remember it being a scrap. Some guys only go for straight technique, but he makes stuff happen with his power.”

Bader claims he’s developed superior MMA wrestling to Davis over the years. However, Davis doesn’t believe that to be true. While much of the pre-fight talk between the two fighters has centered on grappling, it’s hardly out of the question that the bout could turn into a striking-heavy affair.

Regardless of how the fight plays out, the winner moves into a strong position in the light heavyweight division. Davis is higher ranked and has more to lose against Bader. He won’t fight that way, though.

Davis wants to make a statement against Bader. To do that, he said he must put on a performance that justifies his spot in the rankings.

“I’ve got to stay where I’m at if I want to get into that top contender spot,” Davis said. “I’ve been in this spot before. I just got to nail it down.”

For more on UFC on FOX 14, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.