Kyler Phillips

Kyler Phillips
Born	Kyler John Phillips [1] (1995-06-12) June 12, 1995 (age 29) Torrance, California, U.S.
Other names	The 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	Glendale, 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

Kyler John Phillips (born June 12, 1995) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of August 27, 2024, he is #12 in the UFC bantamweight rankings. ^[3]

Background

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. ^[4] 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). ^[5]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

After a 4–0 record on the regional scene, including an impressive win at LFA 13 against Jonathan Quiroz, ^[6] 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. ^[7]

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. ^[8]

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. ^[9] This win earned him the Fight of the Night bonus. ^{[10] [11]}

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. ^[12] This win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus. ^[10]

Phillips faced Song Yadong on March 6, 2021, at UFC 259. ^[13] He won the bout via unanimous decision. ^[14]

Phillips was scheduled to face Raphael Assunção on July 24, 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw. ^[15] However, Assunção suffered a bicep injury in late June and was replaced by Raulian Paiva. ^[16] Phillips lost the fight via majority decision. ^[17] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award. ^[18]

Phillips faced Marcelo Rojo on February 12, 2022, at UFC 271. ^[19] He won the fight via triangle armbar submission in round three. ^[20]

Phillips was scheduled to face Jack Shore on November 19, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 215. ^[21] However, Shore pulled out of the fight due to a knee injury. ^[22]

Phillips was scheduled to face Raphael Assunção on March 11, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 221. ^[23] However, Phillips withdrew from the event for undisclosed reasons, and he was replaced by Davey Grant. ^[24]

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. ^[25]

Phillips was scheduled to face Said Nurmagomedov on August 5, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 50. ^[26] However, Nurmagomedov withdrew for unknown reasons and was replaced by Raoni Barcelos. ^[27] He won the bout via unanimous decision. ^[28]

Phillips faced Pedro Munhoz on March 9, 2024, at UFC 299. ^[29] He won the bout by unanimous decision. ^[30]

Phillips is scheduled to face Rob Font on October 19, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 245. ^[31]

Championships and achievements

Mixed martial arts

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Cameron Else ^[10]
  • Fight of the Night (Two times) vs. Gabriel Silva and Raulian Paiva ^{[10] [18]}

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown

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	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	December 17, 2016	1	2:55	Studio City, California, United States
Win	2–0	PJ Ste-Marie	Submission (calf slicer)	CXF 4	September 10, 2016	1	4:37	Studio City, California, United States
Win	1–0	Taylor Alfaro	TKO (punches)	CXF 1	March 4, 2016	1	2:30	Studio City, California, United States	Bantamweight debut.

^[32]

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

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.

See also

• List of current UFC fighters
• List of male mixed martial artists

References

1. "Kyler Phillips MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
2. "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
3. "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
4. Bitter, Shawn (March 18, 2019). "Welcome to the UFC: Kyler Phillips". Cageside Press. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
5. Bitter, Shawn (18 March 2019). "Welcome to the UFC: Kyler Phillips". Cageside Press. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
6. "LFA 13 results: Curtis Millender proves tougher, wins all-out war with Kevin Holland". MMA Junkie. 3 June 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
7. "'The Ultimate Fighter 27' cast of undefeated competitors revealed". MMA Junkie. 26 January 2018.
8. McCarter, Nathan. "TUF Alum Leaves Fans Awestruck After Kick Combo Knockout at LFA 59". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
9. Bitter, Shawn (29 February 2020). "UFC Norfolk Results: Kyler Phillips Wins Unanimous Decision in Debut". Cageside Press. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
10. Ryan Galloway (2020-10-04). "UFC Fight Night: Holm Vs. Aldana Bonuses". lowkickmma.com. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
11. "UFC Norfolk bonuses: Megan Anderson, Jordan Griffin earn $50,000 each for impressive finishes". mmafighting.com. 2020-02-29.
12. Vreeland, Daniel (3 October 2020). "UFC Fight Island 4 Results: Kyler Phillips Dominates, Stops Cameron Else in 2nd". Cageside Press. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
13. DNA, MMA (2021-01-08). "Song Yadong treft Kyler Phillips tijdens UFC 259 op 6 maart". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
14. Anderson, Jay (6 March 2021). "UFC 259 Results: Kyler Phillips Tops Song Yadong After Entertaining 15 Minutes". Cageside Press. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
15. Mike Heck (2021-04-27). "Raphael Assuncao vs. Kyler Phillips set for UFC event on July 24". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
16. 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)
17. Doherty, Dan (2021-07-24). "UFC Vegas 32 Results: Raulian Paiva Completes Comeback, Gets Decision Over Kyler Phillips". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
18. Dan Hiergesell (2021-07-24). "UFC Vegas 32 bonuses: Darren Elkins, Adrian Yanez lead $50K winners". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
19. DNA, MMA (2021-10-12). "Kyler Phillips maakt opwachting tegen Marcelo Rojo tijdens UFC 271 op 12 februari". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
20. Miller, Timothy (2022-02-12). "UFC 271: Kyler Phillips Submits Marcelo Rojo In Style". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
21. Adam Martin (2022-08-25). "Jack Shore vs. Kyler Phillips added to upcoming UFC Fight Night card". My MMA News. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
22. 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.
23. 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.
24. 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.
25. Reinsmith, Trent (2023-03-21). "Two UFC fighters suspended after testing positive for ostarine". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
26. Jay Anderson (2023-05-23). "UFC: Kyler Phillips vs. Said Nurmagomedov booked for August 5". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
27. 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.
28. Theodosi, Jamie (2023-08-05). "UFC Nashville: Kyler Phillips Returns With A Decision Win Over The Powerful Barcelos". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
29. Sherdog.com. "Pedro Munhoz, Kyler Phillips Collide at 135 Pounds on UFC 299". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
30. McCorry, Patrick (2024-03-10). "Kyler Phillips Puts On Breakout Performance Against Munhoz, Takes Decision". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
31. Nolan King (2024-08-03). "UFC books Rob Font vs. Kyler Phillips bantamweight banger". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
32. Sherdog.com. "Kyler Phillips". Sherdog. Retrieved 2020-08-07.

External links

• Professional MMA record for Kyler Phillips from Sherdog
• Kyler Phillips at UFC