Phil Davis Returns At Bellator 186

Davis Bellator

Another bout has been added to the Bellator 186 lineup, and it involves a former Bellator MMA champion.

Former Bellator light heavyweight champion Phil Davis is slated to return to the cage when he faces undefeated Leo Leite at the event. Bellator officials confirmed to MMA Fighting on Tuesday. Combate first reported the match-up as a possibility. This bout is expected to be featured on the main card, which is stacked.

Davis (17-4, 1NC) is looking to get back on track after suffering his first loss since joining Bellator. He went 4-0 in the promotion with wins over “King Mo” Lawal and former light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary. Davis is coming off a split decision defeat to Ryan Bader in June at Bellator 180, which aired on Spike TV as part of Bellator NYC. 

On the flip side, Leite (10-0) won the Legacy FC middleweight and light heavyweight belts en route to a perfect record with 10 victories and six finishes.

Bellator 186 is slated to take place on November 3rd at Bryce Jordan Center on Penn State’s campus in University Park, Pa. The preliminary card will air online while the main card will air on Spike TV. Ryan Bader vs. Linton Vassell for a light heavyweight title will serve as the main event. Although the fight card has yet to be finalized, here is the updated lineup:

Ryan Bader © vs. Linton Vassell – for light heavyweight title
Emily Ducote vs. Ilima MacFarlane – for inaugural women’s flyweight title
Phil Davis vs. Leo Leite
Ed Ruth vs. TBA
Saad Awad vs. Zach Freeman