After an evenly-matched start, Phil Davis took over at Bellator 220, knocking out Liam McGeary in the third round.
Phil Davis is a former UFC standout who had a 9-3 record in the promotion but never received a title shot. The wrestler held relevant wins over Alexander Gustafsson, Glover Teixeira, and Lyoto Machida in the Octagon. He hit his stride in Bellator, winning his first four fights in the promotion and capping that run off with a title victory over tonight’s opponent, Liam McGeary. Davis was unable to defend his belt, losing to current champion Ryan Bader. He’s 2-1 since losing the title, and is looking to rebound from a loss to up-and-comer Vadim Nemkov.
Liam McGeary is a British grappling specialist who signed with Bellator when he was just 3-0. He won his first eight fights with the promotion with seven stoppages. On that streak, he defeated Emanuel Newton to win the title and defended it against Tito Ortiz. His title reign ended against Phil Davis and he is 2-2 since then. McGeary snapped a two-fight losing streak in his last fight with a third round knockout against King Mo Lawal.
The grappling of the light heavyweights canceled each other out in the first two rounds as McGeary and Davis exchanged jabs, with Davis showing more creativity in his strikes. The clinch striking game was won by Davis who was able to deliver knees to the body of McGeary throughout the fight.
In the third round, Davis finally settled in. He scored a takedown and some brutal ground and pound from the back of McGeary before the Brit rolled out. Davis hit him with knees in the clinch then hit him with a hard left hand followed by a takedown. Davis realized McGeary was rocked on the way down, and landed finishing blows until the ref stopped the contest.
Phil Davis def. Liam McGeary by TKO (Punches) in Round 3 (4:11)
