What to Watch For: Bellator 154

Phil Davis thought he had a title shot lined up, but an injury to reigning Bellator MMA light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary altered those plans. Davis will instead settle for a showdown with former Strikeforce titleholder Muhammed Lawal in the Bellator 154 main event on Saturday at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. The two were originally slated to meet in the final of a four-man grand prix on Sept. 19 before Lawal bowed out with injured ribs and left Davis to mop the mat with tournament alternate Francis Carmont. A Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, native, Davis will step into the cage on the strength of back-to-back wins. The 31-year-old Alliance MMA rep wrestled collegiately at Penn State University, where he was a four-time NCAA All-American, compiled a 112-17 career record and won a national championship in 2008. Davis started 9-0 after transitioning to MMA — a run that included victories over Brian Stann, Alexander Gustafsson and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. “Mr. Wonderful” has never been finished in 20 professional appearances, losing only to Rashad Evans, Anthony Johnson and Ryan Bader. Lawal has rattled off seven straight wins since his disputed decision defeat to Quinton Jackson in May 2014. The 35-year-old last fought under the Rizin Fighting Federation banner in December, when he won an eight-man, two-day heavyweight tournament with victories over Brett McDermott, Teodoras Aukstuolis and Jiri Prochazka. A decorated amateur wrestler in his own right, Lawal was a national champion at the University of Central Oklahoma and later earned All-America honors at Oklahoma State University. He was also a three-time gold medalist at the USA Senior Freestyle National Championships. Since arriving on the MMA scene in 2008, “King Mo” has delivered 13 of his 19 wins by knockout or technical …

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