Phil Davis will be going up against Anthony Johnson at UFC 172, and it's a perfect time to hype the fight by giving the fans a taste of his increasingly fun persona, while shooting down any notion of drug use by either him or his opponent.
UFC light heavyweight contender Phil Davis has become more of a personality as of late ,
and he didn't disappoint when calling out Jon Jones and addressing the
performance-enhancing drug (PED) situation in the sport of mixed martial
arts (MMA).
Gracing the pundits with his presence on The MMA Hour,
"Mr. Wonderful" spoke about several subjects, including the UFC light
heavyweight champ, his next opponent at UFC 172 (Anthony Johnson), and
what he thinks of the sport's drug problem.
The Philly native spoke about his fun feud with "Bones," and confirmed there really isn't any animosity there.
"I don't so much dislike Jon Jones ... I will tell you this. I don't dislike Jon Jones, I quite like him. Jon Jones is short for cookie, okay? He's soft, he's sweet, and when I get my hands on him, he's gonna crumble in the palm of my hand."
After beating Lyoto Machida at UFC 163 last summer in a very controversial unanimous decision win, the Penn State wrestling standout hasn't been featured since, falling down the pecking order when it comes to the light heavyweight strap.
Instead, his current teammate at Alliance MMA and a fighter he beat a couple of years ago, Alexander Gustafsson, will wait for the winner of UFC 172's main event
clash between Jones and Glover Teixeira. Davis was asked how he can
stomach the issue, knowing he was skipped after the biggest win of his
career in favor of someone he already defeated.
"Well you know what, I stomach it because in order to get a title shot, Lyoto Machida had to drop down a few weight classes, and that's something that I physically cannot do. I think (Gustafsson) deserves it."
Speaking of that particular
fight card, "Mr. Wonderful" will welcome the returning Johnson back into
the fold, with both athletes set to exchange blows in the co-main event of UFC 172 next month in Baltimore.
"Rumble" recently sparked a bit of controversy himself, talking about PEDs
in somewhat of a positive way, but Davis is not convinced the former
World Series of Fighting (WSOF) headliner was doing anything he wasn't
supposed to on the supplement front.
"I can't say whether he does or does not. What I would say is that he's maybe misleading to some of the younger audiences who follow this sport, but I wouldn't say for sure that Anthony takes PEDs. No, I wouldn't say that. In order to take PEDs, you have to be a loser first."
It's been a much-talked about subject since testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) exemptions have been eliminated from (most of) the sport, but the drug problem is still alive and well, according to blockbuster mega-stars like Georges St-Pierre.
Davis reiterated his stance on
the subject, making sure it's clear that he will never use anything to
get an edge, and that PEDs are for losers.
"I have no reason to use PEDs. Guys who use PEDs have to first admit one thing to (themselves), 'I am not good enough to win on my own, therefore I need to take something and that's all the mental edge I need.' You're not good enough to hang in there with me. I'm taking absolutely nothing. I don't even have a strict diet. If you think you have to go in there and take PEDs to stay competitive and win, I've already won, because you're not good enough."