Tag: KSW 79

KSW 79 results: Heavyweight champ Phil De Fries spoils Todd Duffee’s return, runs through him for revenge

Phil De Fries promised his rematch with Todd Duffee at KSW 79 would turn out differently, and he was right.

[autotag]Phil De Fries[/autotag] promised his rematch with [autotag]Todd Duffee[/autotag] would turn out differently. Boy was he right.

De Fries ran through Duffee on Saturday at KSW 79 in Liberec, Czech Republic. The heavyweight champ dominated from start to finish until he used vicious ground-and-pound to force referee Michael Bell to stop it 3 minutes and 46 seconds into the first round.

The outcome was disappointing for Duffee (9-4), who was fighting for the first time since retiring three-and-a-half years ago. On the flip side, it was sweet revenge for De Fries (23-6), who lost by first-round TKO to Duffee more than 10 years ago at UFC 155.

“It feels good, you know,” De Fries said afterward. “I’ve got a lot of respect for Todd. He’s a great fighter, but I’m the man now, and that’s the way it’s gonna stay.”

From the moment the opening bell rang, De Fries left zero doubt about making his eighth consecutive KSW heavyweight title defense. When Duffee threw an early haymaker that whiffed, he closed the distance right into a takedown by De Fries, who proceeded to be relentless with his attacks and transitions. Duffee did what he could to stagger back to his feet, but De Fries never let up with his attack while draped on Duffee’s back. Once he dragged Duffee back to the mat, De Fries worked for a neck crank and rear-naked choke that, at one point, appeared tight. Duffee hung on, though, but De Fries ultimately back mounted him and flattened him out on his stomach. With Duffee unable to get free, De Fries dropped right hands over and over until the referee had no choice but to stop it.

Afterward, De Fries turned his attention toward a June 3 stadium show in Warsaw, Poland, where he made it clear that he would like to fight Alistair Overeem.

“That’s the day,” De Fries said. “Me, Overeem, 56,000 people, good times.”

Resuming career at KSW 79, Todd Duffee expects to fight five more years: ‘I feel very competitive’

The return of former UFC heavyweight Todd Duffee at KSW 79 is just the beginning of him fighting for a good while.

There’s plenty left in the tank for [autotag]Todd Duffee[/autotag].

The former UFC heavyweight is scheduled to resume his career Saturday, and he believes this is the start of a lengthy run and not just a one-off. Duffee (9-3) returns in the main event of KSW 79 in Liberec, Czech Republic, as he’s set to take on champion Philip De Fries in a rematch.

Despite being away from the fight game for over three years, Duffee, now 37, believes he can hang with the guys at the top and even the ones coming up too.

“My brain is still here, my reflexes are still here, and my physicality and athleticism is still here – and you’ll definitely see that on display (Saturday),” Duffee told MMA Junkie Radio. “I feel like I have five or six years.

“Like you said, I haven’t taken much punishment. … A year or two ago, I looked at the average age of the UFC heavyweights, and they were 36. So I don’t have this idea that I’m too old or anything like that. I feel very competitive. I’m not seeing young 20-year-olds that are more physical than me, so I feel pretty confident in that aspect.”

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The last time Duffee and De Fries fought was back in 2012 at UFC 155. That night in Las Vegas, Duffee knocked out De Fries in a little over two minutes to win a $50,000 bonus for Knockout of the Night.

Duffee sees an improved De Fries a decade later but not a different fighter.

“I think Phil is incredibly tough. I thought he was tough when we fought the first time,” Dufee explained. “I can tell you what Phil said in his own interviews. He’s dealt with his anxiety, and he claims that his resurgence in his career has everything to do with his anxiety medication and managing his anxiety.

“Has he changed? Yeah, he’s matured. He’s gotten a lot more physical, it looks like. He’s developed as a fighter, but he’s still pretty much Phil De Fries. You can only change so much. He’s definitely grown, I don’t know how much he’s changed.”

KSW 79 video: Phil De Fries, Todd Duffee set stage for heavyweight title rematch

Watch as Phil De Fries and Todd Duffee weigh in on their rematch 11 years in the making at KSW 79 in the Czech Republic.

KSW 79 takes place Saturday, Feb. 25 at Home Credit Arena in Liberec, Czech Republic, which marks the return of UFC veteran [autotag]Todd Duffee[/autotag] as he gets set for a rematch with heavyweight champion [autotag]Phil De Fries[/autotag].

The two big men first met way back in December 2012 at UFC 155, where Duffee (9-3) handed De Fries (22-6) a brutal defeat by first-round TKO. Things have changed drastically since then, with 36-year-old De Fries riding a 10-fight winning streak and going for his eighth consecutive title defense, while Duffee, 37, is coming out of retirement to compete for the first time in three-and-a-half years.

You can watch the trailer for KSW 79 in the video above as both men talk about their past encounter, what’s different now, revenge, and more.

“Knock him out cold, just for that sweet revenge feeling,” De Fries said. “That would be perfect.”

Added Duffee: “Phil’s best side is he’s willing to do whatever it takes to win even though that means being the most boring guy in the room. I’m gonna make the KSW heavyweight division exciting again.”

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