Friday night’s Bellator 186 is highlighted by the Light Heavyweight World Title between Ryan Bader and Linton Vassell, but most fans in attendance at the Bryce Jordan Center will be there to see former Penn State wrestlers Phil Davis and Ed Ruth make their returns to Happy Valley and fight.

Ed Ruth

Ruth came to Penn State from New Jersey’s Blair Academy, and before that was successful at Susquehanna Township High School in Harrisburg, PA. Ruth was a High School All-American in 2009 and was the top-ranked wrestling recruit in his weight class.

At Penn State, Ruth was a three-time NCAA wrestling champion and competed in the 2014 Worlds Championships and the 2015 Wrestling World Cup.

In 2015, Ruth signed with Bellator MMA. He made his debut in November 2016. Ruth enters Bellator 186 on Friday against Chris Dempsey with a 3-0 record, all by TKO victory.

Phil Davis

Phil Davis also came to Penn State after growing up in Harrisburg, PA and graduating from Harrisburg High School. In his high school career, Davis finished with a 112-17 career record and three top-five finishes in the highly competitive state tournament.

Wrestling at 197 lbs. for the Nittany Lions, Davis was a four-time All-American and won an NCAA title in 2008 to close out his collegiate career with a record of 116-15.

Davis signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in December 2009. Six year later, he opted to sign with Bellator MMA in May 2015. Davis enters Friday’s matchup against Leo Leite with an overall MMA record of 17-4, 1 NC record.