Phil Davis (Photo/Bellator)"In the tournament-s opening round, (Davis) dominated former light heavyweight champion Newton on the ground before locking on a kimura near the end of the first stanza," according to BleacherReport.com. "Newton hadn-t been finished in a fight since 2009 and had been the company-s most successful 205-pound champion before losing the title to McGeary at Bellator 134 in February."
In the other preliminary light-heavyweight (205-pound) match-up, Lawal -- an Oklahoma State All-American wrestler -- defeated Linton Vassell via unanimous decision in their three-round bout. However, "King Mo" told event organizers that he had injured his ribs in that first match, and was unable to continue, dashing all hopes for a mini-tournament finals featuring two top former college wrestlers. The tournament guidelines stated that Vassell would have been next in line to advance to the finals, but, like Lawal, was unable to continue. Instead, Bellator named Carmont -- who defeated Anthony Ruiz in an earlier preliminary bout -- as the fighter who would face Davis in the finals.
"The two finalists circled one another pawing with punches and kicks, until Davis connected," Sherdog.com reported. "Carmont folded at the base of the cage and did not recover in time to successfully defend himself. Davis pounced and knocked the Frenchman unconscious with a series of kneeling right hands, staking his claim as Bellator-s No. 1 contender at 205 pounds."
"Man, I don-t know what just happened," Davis said inside the cage after knocking out Carmont.
Davis is now 15-3 in his professional MMA career, and 2-0 in Bellator. The former Nittany Lion mat champ has won six of his last eight bouts. More importantly, Davis has vaulted ahead of the competition to become the No. 1 contender for the Bellator light-heavyweight title, currently owned by Liam McGeary. All this made the Penn State alum-s decision to leave UFC -- an organization he had joined in Feb. 2010, and where he had 14 fights, but never a title match -- and then sign with Bellator in April look that much smarter.
A very appreciative Davis posted the following message on his Facebook account Sunday: "Thank you to all my family, friends, and fans. I love you guys! Also big thanks to @oakgrovetech @afflictionclothing @americanethanol @bellatormma @mmadraft @alliancemma @ericdelfierro @coachmelendrez"
Long before launching his MMA career in Oct. 2008, Phil Davis had a stellar mat career at Penn State. The Harrisburg, Pa. native compiled an overall record of 109-18, with 27 falls. Davis was twice a Big Ten conference champ at 197 pounds in 2006 and 2008, and a four-time NCAA Division I All-American, concluding his collegiate career by winning the 197 crown at the 2008 NCAAs.
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