The UFC returns this evening with a Fight Night 24 card that features a battle between light heavyweight contenders Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Phil "Mr. Wonderful" Davis. Also in action are former welterweight challenger Dan Hardy, Ultimate Fighter winner Amir Sadollah, and the "Korean Zombie", Chan Sung Jung. UFC Odds have Davis listed as a -280 moneyline favorite to beat "Lil Nog" in tonight's main event.
The Phil Davis hype machine has not reached Jon Jones levels yet, but the former Penn State wrestler has certainly made a 
name for himself in the MMA world. Davis is off to an 8-0 start as a professional fighter and his UFC career includes wins over Brian Stann, Alexander Gustafsson, Rodney Wallace, and Tim Boetsch.
The 6'2" Davis, a 2008 NCAA wrestling champion, last fought in November when he scored a second round submission against Boetsch. It was his second finish inside the Octagon, the other coming against Gustafsson.
Tonight will definitely serve as Davis' biggest test to date, but that fact is not lost on the 26 year old.
"If I want to someday be considered a great fighter it's going to be important for me to win this fight against a tougher, stronger, more experienced fighter like Nogueira," Davis said.
"Lil Nog", without question, has the edge in the experience department, having fought 23 professional fights, but he is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Ryan Bader. Prior to that setback, Nogueira had reeled off seven consecutive wins, including UFC victories against Luis Cane and Jason Brilz.
While Davis is extermely talented, he will not intimidate the 34 year old Nogueira, who has faced litany of top fighters, such as Dan Henderson, Alistair Overeem, and Mauricio Rua.
Despite Nogueira's pedigree, youth should prevail tonight as Davis runs his record to 9-0 and works his way up the light heavyweight contenders list.
Tonight's card, which will take place at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington, is scheduled to get underway at 10:00pm ET. The event can be seen live on Spike TV. Five of the preliminary fights will be aired live on Facebook.
UFC Fight Night 24 Betting Odds:
Phil Davis (-280) vs Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (+210)
Dan Hardy (+155) vs Anthony Johnson (-190)
DaMarques Johnson (+200) vs Amir Sadollah (-260)
Alex Caceres (+190) vs Mackens Semerzier (-240)
Leobard Garcia (-115) vs Chan Sung Jung (-115)
Mike Russow (+220) vs Jon Madsen (-300)
Kris McCray (+300) vs John Hathaway (-400)
Edwin Figueroa (+250) vs Michael McDonald (-350)
Sean McCorkle (+160) vs Christian Morecraft (-200)
TJ Waldburger (+300) vs Johny Hendricks (-400)
Mario Miranda (+190) vs Aaron Simpson (-240)
Waylon Lowe (+160) vs Nick Lentz (-200)
