Phil Davis on Yoel Romero’s Lead in Bellator 266 Purses: “A Lot of Things Weren't Disclosed”

Regardless of the public numbers, the former Bellator MMA light heavyweight champion is happy with the way things went down in his last fight.

He didn’t plan it this way, but the last time Phil Davis (23-6 1 NC, 10-3 Bellator) stepped into a cage he ended up on the right side of his fourth split decision in the California-based organization. On this most recent occasion, “Mr. Wonderful” welcomed former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title contender Yoel Romero to Bellator and ended up edging him out on two of three judges’ scorecards. Afterward, it was disclosed that Romero actually led the purses that night with a flat rate of $150,000 while Davis earned $100,000. Still, it appears that the discrepancy didn’t bother Davis.

“Romero comes in with a lot of mystique, he has a great career, he’s loved by fans all over the world,” Davis told Sherdog. “He actually brings a very, very dedicated Latin crowd. Man, they filled the SAP Center. I thought I was going to be the hometown guy, wrong! You know what? Listen, to me, it’s always about appreciation. I appreciate where I am in this sport and what I’ve been able to accomplish. With that, I’m fine with where I’m at. There’s also a lot of things that aren’t disclosed.”

Davis also talked about his success landing takedowns on the Olympic silver medalist wrestler, his thoughts on the dissenting judge who gave the fight to his opponent, if he plans to move to heavyweight and finish his trilogy with Ryan Bader, and more.

Tudor Leonte started writing about mixed martial arts in 2013 for Italian media outlets. His journey with Sherdog began in 2018 and he now covers One Championship and countless European shows. You can follow him on Twitter @MrTudorLeonte.