by Jamil Salih
OVER a year after Swansea-born mixed martial arts star John Phillips was originally scheduled to make his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut, the Welshman finally steps inside the octagon in March as he makes his UFC bow at London’s O2 Arena.
Phillips, who goes by the nickname ‘The White Mike Tyson’ due to his 86 percent knockout ratio, will get his first taste of UFC action when he meets experienced American fighter Charles Byrd in what is gearing up to be an action-packed night of mixed martial arts in the capital.
Now based in Dublin, the 32-year old, a former member of the Welsh Commonwealth boxing contingent in his amateur boxing days before making the move from boxing to MMA, boasts an impressive MMA record, which reads 22 wins and 5 defeats.
It was 2016 when Phillips first signed a four-fight contract with the UFC but issues with his visa and trouble with injuries meant that after two cancelled bouts, he finally gets to make his long-awaited UFC introduction on St. Patrick’s Day at UFC Fight Night: London.
The former middleweight champion in UK-based mixed martial arts organisation BAMMA, follows in the footsteps of fellow Swansea fighter Brett Johns and Abertillery’s Jack Marshman as he becomes just the third Welshman to compete in the UFC.
The middleweight trains at Straight Blast Gym in Ireland, which is the home of worldwide superstar and current UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor and is currently on an impressive four-fight win streak, taking all four bouts by way of knockout.
Phillips’ UFC debut will help to continue to put mixed martial arts on the map in Wales and raise awareness of the sport.
Irishman Conor McGregor, who is the only fighter in history to hold two UFC world championships simultaneously, has done a huge deal to raise the profile of the sport in both Ireland and the UK.
Phillips will be hoping to put Wales on the map as he competes to make his mark in the world of MMA.
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