Bellator 163 media call ends with fireworks between Liam McGeary and Phil Davis

If there wasn’t much truly bad blood between Phil Davis and light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary heading into Wednesday’s Bellator 163 media call, heading out of it was a different story. That’s when the two fighters  — who square off Nov. 4 for the in the main event at the Mohegan Sun — did away with any tenuous civility.

It began innocuous enough, with a question about how each man would characterize their relationship to the other, especially after a small incident between the two in month’s past.

"The talking’s over," McGeary said. "I’ve done all the talking I need to do. I see all these videos he puts up thinking how’s he got time to do these videos? He should be in the gym training. I’ve done all the talking I need to do. We had our laughs and our joke arounds back then.

"But now it’s time to get serious. I’ve got a belt to defend, and I’m going to be defending it. I’m not going to allow that squeaky voice take it off me."

Davis, who has been spoofing the upcoming 2016 Presidential election with a "Vote For Phil" campaign of his own, got a little animated.

"I used to like Liam," he said. "I used to like Liam. But, I’ll tell you, out of all the guys I’ve fought, I’m going to like punching him in the face the least. He’s actually a pretty funny guy. But, business is business, and I’m going to have to come at this man like a spider monkey. And he’s right, he will defend that belt, but he will be unsuccessful.

"So, that being said, I will be the new champion. I’m sure we’ll be friends after that."

The 32-year-old former UFC fighter Davis has won three straight fights since signing with Bellator back in April 2015. He was promised a shot against McGeary after winning a one-night tournament back in September 2015 at the Dynamite show in San Jose, but McGeary was nursing a knee injury.

Since then, Davis defeated Muhammed Lawal back at Bellator 154 in May to solidify his standing. It’s been a fight a little over a year in the making, which was mentioned on the 30-minute media call several times.

"Business is business, and my business is to break your nose," McGeary said.

"Well then you’re bad at your business, because it’s not going to happen," Davis retorted.
Then it got heated.

"If I say I’m going to knock them out, I knock them out," McGeary said. "If I say I’m getting a submission, I submit them. You, I just want to beat your f*cking face in."

"Are you sure?" Davis replied. "You haven’t had a fight for a year and you think that you can just jump off the bench, fresh. Wrong. Wrong. The world don’t work like that. Listen, I’ve been beating people up while I’ve been waiting to beat up you, okay? Your picture is on a bag in my gym, and I just beat the picture off the bag. Okay? For the second time."

"You’re a sad, sad little man," McGeary said.

"Oh, I am a sad little man -- I cry every night," Davis responded. "I cry every night. I say, man, I wanted to beat Liam up after Sept. 19 last year after I secured my place as the No. 1 contender, and then I go home and cry, ‘Why, why! Liam is running scared for his life! He’s running scared. Then King Mo had to get beat up. Do you know what, that’s not even on him, that’s on you! That’s on you!"

The 34-year old McGeary (11-0) won the title back in Feb. 2015 against Emanuel Newton at the Mohegan Sun, and has defended it once against Tito Ortiz at that same Dynamite card in San Jose. The Englishman made sure to let Davis know what he thought of that fight with Lawal.

"He f*cking whopped your ass," he said. "You had three minutes in the last round, which was the only decent thing in that fight. The rest of it left us falling asleep, just like all your fights."