Phil Davis is considered among a handful of elite prospects coming out of the collegiate wrestling ranks. Along with names like Ben Askren and Mo Lawal, the former NCAA Division I National Championship wrestler represents a new breed of wrestlers backing the transition directly from high level wrestling into MMA.

Davis (3-0) left Penn State as only the forth four-time All-American in the schools history and capped his historic career with a national championship at 197-pounds in 2008. He then began training vigorously at the LionHeart MMA Training Center at Penn State.

Upon taking up the sport Davis He found that he had a natural affinity for Brazilian jiu-jitsu and big power in his striking ability. That combined with his strong work ethic and world-class wrestling makes Davis a big-time prospect and has organizations like the UFC and Strikeforce frothing at the mouth for a chance to pick him up when the time is right.

The undefeated future superstar took time out of his busy training schedule to catch up with Tommy Kail of FiveKnuckles.com to discuss a variety of issues.

FiveKnuckles.com: Every kid growing up in the state of Pennsylvania dreams of being an athlete at Penn State. Not only were you an athlete, you were a national champion. What was that whole experience like for you?

Phil Davis: Being an athlete at Penn State was one of those things I didn't realize at the time because it all happened so fast. The college atmosphere at Penn State was second to none. I enjoyed my whole time at the university, but the best part wasn't winning the national championship, it was the entire journey. The years leading up to that accomplishment were some of the best years of my life. The network that I built for myself with my friends, teachers, and coaches is something I wouldn't trade for anything. I had a lot of friends on other teams. I'm a huge volleyball fan and the Penn State women's volleyball team is the bomb dot com. They're one of the most successful NCAA athletic programs in history. I'm obviously a big football fan and watching a game live at Beaver Stadium is quite an experience. I pretty much showed support to all the teams and I feel like I got a lot of support in return.  Being from PA [Pennsylvania] I was a huge Penn State fan and when I got the offer, it was definitely hard to believe. I didn't believe it was the "real" Penn State. Before I could pinch myself, I was at University Park and it was too late to be shy.

FiveKnuckles.com: How did you get involved with mixed martial arts?

Phil Davis: I trained for wrestling my whole life and the climax for me in that sport was the national title. Winning a national title in college wrestling is similar to winning the Heisman Trophy in college football. The difference is when a football player wins the Heisman; he's guaranteed 45 million dollars. When a wrestler wins the national title and he's guaranteed a pat on the back (laughing). That's just the way the game works.

When a wrestler finishes college there's no clear cut definition of the next step to take. Upon graduating from college in my early twenties, I understood that my peak athletic years were ahead of me. From there it came down to what I can do to take advantage of my skill set and MMA is just the...