Phil Davis has a title shot ahead of him in a key rematch with Vadim Nemkov atop Bellator 257 this April, part of the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix. That hasn’t stopped him from playfully suggesting a little ring time with Robinhood CEO Vladimir Tenev, however.
Bellator light heavyweight Phil Davis (22-5, 1NC) finally has his rematch with Vadim Nemkov set — and it’s for all the marbles. One big, gold marble in particular: the Bellator light heavyweight championship.
When Davis first met the Russian at Bellator 209 in 2018, neither man wore gold. Davis was a former champion, having lost his belt the year prior to Ryan Bader. Nemkov was a champion to be, one who would claim gold two fights later, dethroning Bader in the process.
Their rematch, at Bellator 257 on April 16, will see Davis looking to avenge a close split-decision loss. It will also see him look to move forward in the promotion’s newly announced light heavyweight grand prix. But that wasn’t the only potential target Davis was talking about on Tuesday, following the tournament’s unveiling.
On the Nemkov front, getting the rematch “feels very good. Vadim, his stock has only gone up since we fought. He obviously defeated the champion, and he won in impressive fashion,” said Davis, before sidetracking by saying “and speaking about stocks, let’s talk about GameStop.”
Davis was joking, and had plenty to say on Nemkov, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press. When it comes to the champ, Davis believes that more people are now aware of Nemkov’s talents, and their fight will be “one to remember.” But he’d come back to the GameStop topic again. “Somebody gotta go to jail. That’s all I’m gonna say. Or put ’em in the ring. Put ’em in the ring, or put ’em in jail!” Davis exclaimed.
Video game retailer GameStop’s stocks surged in late January when members of the Reddit forum (sorry, subreddit) /WallStreetBets led an effort to boost its value, buying up the stock that many hedge funds had bet against. With GameStop stock surging to a pre-market value of up to 30 times higher than its previous stock price, those hedge funds stood to lose big. Trading services like Robinhood then put a halt on trading GameStop shares, forcing users out of potential windfalls. Apparently, Davis was one of those, although he didn’t clarify whether he used Robinhood, or another service.
Still, when it comes to the stock, Davis explained that while he was up, “I should be up a lot more. I will tell you that, they gotta go to jail. These turkeys, they owe me money, and I would love to see one of those guys— Melvin Capital cats, whoever they are, or maybe it’s the Vladimir [Tenev] guy from Robinhood. Whoever it is, put them in the ring with me. Put me in the ring with them. I came out out alright, but not as alright as I should have been.”
He might not get his wish — but multiple class-action lawsuits have since been filed against Robinhood alone, alleging market manipulation. Tenev, Robinhood’s CEO, has been called to testify before U.S. congress. Melvin Capital execs are expected to testify as well.
Back on the fighting front, seeing Phil Davis involved in a grand prix is nothing new. “Mr. Wonderful” won Bellator’s one-night, four-man light heavyweight grand prix back in 2015. But Davis doesn’t feel that gives him any edge in the 2021 edition. “You know, different format, very different fighters. I don’t draw confidence from things like that, I don’t have any superstitions,” said Davis. The former Penn State wrestler went on to add that “I only gain confidence by doing the work in the gym, and knowing how much hard work I’ve put in through this pandemic and over the years. Improving on any blind spots I have and looking for new ones.”
Watch the full Bellator on Showtime media day press scrum with Phil Davis above.
