Phil Davis spent five years of his career competing in the UFC where he was routinely ranked as the best light heavyweight in the sport, but now promotions can continue to prove he is one of the most elite fighters in the sport, seeking a fundamental change in the way he works.
It was filed in late May with the UFC in Davis’s name accusing Davis, but unlike the highly famous pair of cases, it has already ended with a $375 million settlement, with the second passing through the courthouse. This new legal action does not seek financial damages. Instead, Davis’ lawsuit calls for measures against the UFC’s business practices, particularly changes to the contract and “eliminating restrictive and/or exclusive clauses,” and for a “sunset clause” that allows fighters to “not terminate the contract without penalty within a year.”
Davis is an option that is not available to him after leaving the UFC, in short for fighters who are permitted to pursue the biggest opportunities available in the sport.
“The truth about the matter is, I don’t do this for fun,” Davis told MMA Fighting. “The ability to fight against the best people in the world is restrained. I can’t do it outside of the UFC. It’s a true miscarriage of justice. At one point, I was the Bellator champion and then Glover Teixeira became the UFC champion. It won it from him.
“High-level sports, professional sports, everyone who’s participating in order to be the best. You’re there to compete best to prove you’re the best in the world. That’s all I’m fighting for.
There is a financial component attached to every award fighter jet that competes in combat sports, but Davis promises that anything that focuses on this particular lawsuit will force the UFC to change the way they do business.
His greatest hope is to eliminate restrictive terms and conditions that effectively killed a chance of pursuing a potential rematch against a UFC champion like Teixeira, simply because Davis was working on promoting his rivals.
“I’m not seeking any kind of financial compensation because I’m not seeking damage,” Davis said. “I have no promises. What I want is not just for myself, but for everyone else who is competing.
“You have the opportunity to play the best fight in the world. If you are on that level, I want you to play the best fight in the world. Why don’t I want it for you? I want it for me. I want it for those in this sport.
Davis, who was an NCAA champion during his Pennsylvania wrestling, says the idea that he was not allowed to compete with other college athletes just because he wasn’t in the same conference is ridiculous.
If he succeeds in the lawsuit, Davis believes the outcome will benefit all fighters who compete in MMA today.
“Other sports leagues don’t work that way,” Davis said. “Even from a conference in college sports, we’ve been dualing with Oklahoma. They’re appearing in completely different conferences. We don’t see them anywhere but the Big National Dual, or we don’t even oppose Oklahoma.
“We came out on the top. That’s how sports work. We want to have a top spot, they have it, they put it on the schedule, they came out on the top. Everyone wins.”
As MMA continues to grow as a globally popular sport, Davis feels that these changes are not only necessary for fighter jets, but are merely a better situation for the overall combat sports market.
“MMA has grown a lot, and it’s taking shape and definitely evolving,” Davis said. “Now, practices are outdated, they are restrictive, and frankly, everyone should have the right to play the best fight in the world. Once you’re ranked in the world, you have the opportunity to fight against the best in the world.”