Phil Davis got a new opponent on Thursday for his bout at the UFC's fourth network broadcast on Fox, as it was announced that undefeated Brazilian fighter Wagner Prado will replace the injured Chad Griggs on the nationally broadcast fight card at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Prado, a disciple of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira who will be making his UFC debut in August, is a tough opponent to gauge, as he's never fought outside of his native Brazil before. However, regardless of his opponent, Davis was always going to face a new kind of challenge in his fight at the Staples Center.
When we lost saw "Mr. Wonderful," a former NCAA wrestling champion from Penn State who went 9-0 to start his career as a mixed martial artist - he was getting thoroughly outclassed by Rashad Evans, who showed the difference between a promising prospect and a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion in the prime of his fighting career.
Davis, of course, is still a promising prospect, and then some: the 9-0 run that brought him to the main event against Davis back in January included wins over more experienced fighters like Brian Stann (a former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion), Tim Boetsch, and Antônio Rogério Nogueira. Before, he was clearly on the way up.
Now, with his momentum stopped by Evans, it's uncertain which way Davis is heading, and his bout with Prado will tell the story. While Davis's strategy in the fight will undoubtedly be aggressive, in the bigger picture, he's the hunted rather than the hunter. Davis is no longer the promising prospect hoping to make his name at the expense of an established veteran; he's the veteran of six UFC fights who's being targeted by a newcomer.
This is a statement fight for Davis. He'll turn 28 this fall, and still has most of his fighting career ahead of him. He's beginning the process of maturing into a veteran, and looking to solidify his status as a contender for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship currently held by Jon "Bones" Jones. What Davis shows in his bout against Prado will be a great indicator of how that process is going.
