Kyler_Phillips
Kyler Phillips
American mixed martial artist (born 1995)
Kyler John Phillips (born June 12, 1995) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of May 7, 2024, he is #11 in the UFC bantamweight rankings.[3]
| Kyler Phillips | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kyler John Phillips[1] (1995-06-12) June 12, 1995 (age 28) Torrance, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Matrix |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb) |
| Division | Bantamweight |
| Reach | 72 in (183 cm)[2] |
| Fighting out of | Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Team | MMA Lab |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 14 |
| Wins | 12 |
| By knockout | 5 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 5 |
| Losses | 2 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
At the age of three, Phillip's father took him to the Gracie Academy out of Torrance, California, where he developed a lifelong love for it. At the age of 12, Phillips took part in pankration fights and had his first MMA fight at the age of 16. Phillips also wrestled at Temecula Valley High School. He is a Carlson Gracie BJJ Brown belt, and a Nikidokai black/red belt under grandmaster Hanshi Nico. Among some other accomplishments of Phillips are IBJJF jiu-jitsu world champion blue belt (2012), California State judo champion (2010), and California Southern Section CIF wrestling champion at 138 lbs (2013).[4]
Early career
After a 4–0 record on the regional scene, including an impressive win at LFA 13 against Jonathan Quiroz,[5] was invited to first season of Dana White's Contender Series 4 in 2017, when he only needed 46 seconds to stop James Gray Jr. While not being offered a contract to the UFC, he was brought in to compete on The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated.[6]
On the show he lost a majority decision to eventual season winner Brad Katona. Then came his first official pro defeat, a split decision to Victor Henry in a 2018 bout before a head kick knockout of Emeka Ifekandu in 2019 earned him his call to the Octagon.[7]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Phillips made his UFC debut against Gabriel Silva on February 29, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Benavidez vs. Figueiredo. He won the bout in dominant fashion via unanimous decision.[8] This win earned him the Fight of the Night bonus.[9][10]
Phillips faced Cameron Else on October 4, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Aldana. He won the bout via stoppage due to elbows on the ground in the second round.[11] This win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus.[9]
Phillips faced Song Yadong on March 6, 2021, at UFC 259.[12] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[13]
Phillips was scheduled to face Raphael Assunção on July 24, 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw.[14] However, Assunção suffered a bicep injury in late June and was replaced by Raulian Paiva.[15] Phillips lost the fight via majority decision.[16] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.[17]
Phillips faced Marcelo Rojo on February 12, 2022, at UFC 271.[18] He won the fight via triangle armbar submission in round three.[19]
Phillips was scheduled to face Jack Shore on November 19, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 215.[20] However, Shore pulled out of the fight due to a knee injury. [21]
Phillips was scheduled to face Raphael Assunção on March 11, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 221.[22] However, Phillips withdrew from the event for undisclosed reasons, and he was replaced by Davey Grant.[23]
In March, it was announced that Phillips was suspended by NSAC due to testing positive for ostarine for six months effective January 22, 2023. He would be eligible to fight again in July 22, 2023.[24]
Phillips was scheduled to face Said Nurmagomedov on August 5, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 50.[25] However, Nurmagomedov withdrew for unknown reasons and was replaced by Raoni Barcelos.[26] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[27]
Phillips faced Pedro Munhoz on March 9, 2024, at UFC 299.[28] He won the bout by unanimous decision.[29]
Mixed martial arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Cameron Else[9]
- Fight of the Night (Two times) vs. Gabriel Silva and Raulian Paiva[9][17]
| 14 matches | 12 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 5 | 0 |
| By submission | 2 | 0 |
| By decision | 5 | 2 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 12–2 | Pedro Munhoz | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 299 | March 9, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Miami, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 11–2 | Raoni Barcelos | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Font | August 5, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | |
| Win | 10–2 | Marcelo Rojo | Submission (triangle armbar) | UFC 271 | February 12, 2022 | 3 | 1:48 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Loss | 9–2 | Raulian Paiva | Decision (majority) | UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw | July 24, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 9–1 | Song Yadong | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 259 | March 6, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 8–1 | Cameron Else | TKO (elbows) | UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Aldana | October 4, 2020 | 2 | 0:44 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 7–1 | Gabriel Silva | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Benavidez vs. Figueiredo | February 29, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Norfolk, Virginia, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 6–1 | Emeka Ifekandu | KO (head kick) | LFA 59 | February 1, 2019 | 1 | 2:30 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |
| Loss | 5–1 | Victor Henry | Decision (split) | CXF 15: Rage in the Cage | October 20, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Burbank, California, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | James Gray | TKO (elbows and punches) | Dana White's Contender Series 4 | August 1, 2017 | 1 | 0:46 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Jonathan Quiroz | Decision (unanimous) | LFA 13 | June 2, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Burbank, California, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | George Garcia | TKO (punches) | CXF 5: Night of Champions | December 17, 2016 | 1 | 2:55 | Studio City, California, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | PJ Ste-Marie | Submission (calf slicer) | CXF 4: Fighting for Liam | September 10, 2016 | 1 | 4:37 | Studio City, California, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Taylor Alfaro | TKO (punches) | CXF 1: The Return | March 4, 2016 | 1 | 2:30 | Studio City, California, United States | Bantamweight debut. |
| Exhibition record breakdown | ||
| 1 match | 0 wins | 1 loss |
| By decision | 0 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Brad Katona | Decision (majority) | The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated | Apr 25, 2018 (airdate) | 2 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | TUF 27 Quarterfinal round. |
- "Kyler Phillips MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
- "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
- "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
- Bitter, Shawn (18 March 2019). "Welcome to the UFC: Kyler Phillips". Cageside Press. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- "LFA 13 results: Curtis Millender proves tougher, wins all-out war with Kevin Holland". MMA Junkie. 3 June 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- "'The Ultimate Fighter 27' cast of undefeated competitors revealed". MMA Junkie. 26 January 2018.
- McCarter, Nathan. "TUF Alum Leaves Fans Awestruck After Kick Combo Knockout at LFA 59". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- Bitter, Shawn (29 February 2020). "UFC Norfolk Results: Kyler Phillips Wins Unanimous Decision in Debut". Cageside Press. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- Ryan Galloway (2020-10-04). "UFC Fight Night: Holm Vs. Aldana Bonuses". lowkickmma.com. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
- "UFC Norfolk bonuses: Megan Anderson, Jordan Griffin earn $50,000 each for impressive finishes". mmafighting.com. 2020-02-29.
- Vreeland, Daniel (3 October 2020). "UFC Fight Island 4 Results: Kyler Phillips Dominates, Stops Cameron Else in 2nd". Cageside Press. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- DNA, MMA (2021-01-08). "Song Yadong treft Kyler Phillips tijdens UFC 259 op 6 maart". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
- Anderson, Jay (6 March 2021). "UFC 259 Results: Kyler Phillips Tops Song Yadong After Entertaining 15 Minutes". Cageside Press. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
- Mike Heck (2021-04-27). "Raphael Assuncao vs. Kyler Phillips set for UFC event on July 24". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
- Marcelo Barone (2021-06-25). "Raulian Paiva replaces Raphael Assunção and will face Kyler Phillips in July". ge.globo.com. Retrieved 2021-06-26. (in Portuguese)
- Doherty, Dan (2021-07-24). "UFC Vegas 32 Results: Raulian Paiva Completes Comeback, Gets Decision Over Kyler Phillips". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
- Dan Hiergesell (2021-07-24). "UFC Vegas 32 bonuses: Darren Elkins, Adrian Yanez lead $50K winners". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
- DNA, MMA (2021-10-12). "Kyler Phillips maakt opwachting tegen Marcelo Rojo tijdens UFC 271 op 12 februari". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
- Miller, Timothy (2022-02-12). "UFC 271: Kyler Phillips Submits Marcelo Rojo In Style". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
- Adam Martin (2022-08-25). "Jack Shore vs. Kyler Phillips added to upcoming UFC Fight Night card". My MMA News. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
- Alexander K. Lee (2022-09-07). "Jack Shore out of Nov. 19 bout vs. Kyler Phillips, cites 'serious' knee injury". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
- Tristen Critchfield (2023-01-02). "Raphael Assuncao to Face Kyler Phillips at UFC Fight Night 221 on March 11". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ATSteveDuncan (2023-02-10). "Phillips fuera, Davey Grant enfrenta a Raphael Assuncao en UFC Vegas 71". MMA.uno , #1 En noticias de Artes Marciales Mixtas (MMA) en Español. (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- Reinsmith, Trent (2023-03-21). "Two UFC fighters suspended after testing positive for ostarine". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- Jay Anderson (2023-05-23). "UFC: Kyler Phillips vs. Said Nurmagomedov booked for August 5". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
- Krishna Venki (2023-07-20). ""All the Nurmagomedovs pulling out" - Said Nurmagomedov pulling out of UFC Nashville shortly after Umar Nurmagomedov creates frenzy among fans". sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
- Theodosi, Jamie (2023-08-05). "UFC Nashville: Kyler Phillips Returns With A Decision Win Over The Powerful Barcelos". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- Sherdog.com. "Pedro Munhoz, Kyler Phillips Collide at 135 Pounds on UFC 299". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
- McCorry, Patrick (2024-03-10). "Kyler Phillips Puts On Breakout Performance Against Munhoz, Takes Decision". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- Sherdog.com. "Kyler Phillips". Sherdog. Retrieved 2020-08-07.