Kyler Phillips will look to crack the top-10 bantamweight rankings when he takes on veteran Raphael Assuncao.
[autotag]Kyler Phillips[/autotag] will look to crack the top-10 bantamweight rankings when he takes on an established veteran.
Phillips (9-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) meets [autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag] (27-8 MMA, 14-7 UFC) on July 24 at UFC Fight Night, which doesn’t currently have an announced location or venue. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after an initial post by Phillips on social media.
Phillips, an “Ultimate Fighter” and Dana White’s Contender Series alum, is 3-0 in his UFC tenure, most recently defeating Song Yadong by unanimous decision at UFC 259.
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Meanwhile, perennial contender Assuncao is enduring the roughest stretch of his career. After winning four consecutive fights, which included current bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, former title challenger Marlon Moraes and top contender Rob Font, the Brazilian has dropped three in a row to Moraes, Cory Sandhagen, and former champ Cody Garbrandt by vicious one-punch knockout.
We want your predictions for UFC 259, which features title fights at light heavyweight, women’s featherweight and bantamweight.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC 259 event in Las Vegas.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC 259 main card staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC 259 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Kyler Phillips has a new opponent for UFC “Fight Island.”
[autotag]Cameron Else[/autotag] is now a UFC fighter and he has a date, opponent, and location for his promotional debut.
A United Kingdom-based bantamweight fighter, Else (10-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) recently signed with the UFC and replace Danaa Batgerel, who withdrew from the fight due to travel issues, at the UFC’s Oct. 3 event. He will take on Dana White’s Contender Series alum [autotag]Kyler Phillips[/autotag] on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
The promotion announced the fight Thursday.
Else is riding a six-fight winning streak into his UFC debut. All 10 of his professional victories have come inside the distance with six knockouts and four submissions. Else, 29, trains out of Jackson Wink in Albuquerque, N.M.
Phillips (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) won his promotional debut at UFC on ESPN+ 27 in February, defeating Bruno Silva by unanimous decision. The fight earned both combatants a $50,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus.
MMA Junkie’s Simon Head takes a look back at the best rookie performers in the UFC so far in 2020.
Twenty-two fighters have made their UFC debuts so far in 2020, with 10 of them picking up victories to give their careers on the biggest stage a winning start.
Of those 10 winners, there were five newcomers who stood out as they delivered A-grade performances on their respective debuts. Here, we recap their displays as we look back at the best rookie performances of 2020 so far.
* * * *
Daniel Rodriguez
If there’s one thing UFC fans love to see, it’s a fighter who will step in the cage and throw down, even when it’s against someone who has built a winning reputation for doing the same.
That’s exactly what we saw from welterweight [autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN+ 25 in Rio Rancho, N.M., as he went toe-to-toe with Tim Means before eventually finishing “The Dirty Bird” via submission inside two rounds.
Despite facing such well-established, respected opposition, Rodriguez (11-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) showcased the sort of composure you’d expect to see from a 10-fight UFC veteran, as he outstruck Means, dropped him, and then submitted him with a standing guillotine to cap off an outstanding octagon debut.
What made his performance all the more impressive was the fact that Rodriguez had the deck stacked against him but still prevailed. He was facing a dangerous veteran, in Means’s home state of New Mexico, on just three weeks’ notice. That’s as tough an assignment as you could expect to receive in your UFC debut, yet Rodriguez passed with flying colors.
Take a look inside Kyler Phillips’ win over Gabriel Silva at UFC on ESPN+ 27 in Norfolk, Va.
NORFOLK, Va. – [autotag]Kyler Phillips[/autotag] beat Gabriel Silva with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN+ 27 in Norfolk, Va.
Take a look inside the fight with Phillips, who picked up a win in his UFC debut.
Result: Kyler Phillips def. Gabriel Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Updated records: Phillips (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Silva (8-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) Key stat: Phillips landed nearly 60 percent of his strikes and outstruck Silva 112-43.
Phillips on the fight’s key moment
“He hit me with a good right hand and that knee bar was close, but he was never going to finish it – I would let it break first. … That kid was tough. I knew he would try to wrestle me, but I let him do it a little bit so I could feel his energy, and then I hit him with some big shots. I felt like I could finish him, but I tired myself out a little bit in the first round. I knew I would have him in the second and third, though, and win those wrestling matches and jiu-jitsu transactions. I kept him busy with movement and jabs. He’s tough, but I just kept at it and focused on winning the grappling matches.”
Phillips on fighting after a long layoff
“I hadn’t fought in over a year, so I knew that would be the perfect fight for me. I got to grapple a lot, had some muay Thai and karate stuff, good hard boxing, and ground and pound – so I needed that to get back in this game.”
Phillips on his cardio
“I’m excited. I know I can push that full gas tank. Some people questioned that because I was finishing everyone, but I proved that to everyone tonight.”
To hear more from Phillips, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
All the notable stats and figures to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 27, which saw Deiveson Figueiredo beat Joseph Benavidez in the main event.
The UFC returned to Virginia for the fifth time in company history on Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 27, which went down at Chartway Arena in Norfolk and streamed on ESPN+.
A new flyweight champion should’ve been crowned in the main event. However, despite knocking out [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) in the second round of the headliner, [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) was ineligible to take home the gold because he missed weight.
For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for 35 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 27.
[autotag]Megan Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Jordan Griffin[/autotag], [autotag]Kyler Phillips[/autotag] and [autotag]Gabriel Silva[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN+ 27 fight-night bonuses.
UFC on ESPN+ 27 drew an announced attendance of 7,098 for a live gate of $402,958.
Betting favorites went 6-6 on the card.
Betting favorites fell to 4-2 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 1:36:08.
Main card
Deiveson Figueiredo
Figueiredo has earned 15 of his 18 career victories by stoppage.
Figueiredo has earned four of his five UFC stoppage victories by knockout.
Benavidez became the seventh fighter in UFC history to go 0-3 in title fights.
Benavidez has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout.
[autotag]Felicia Spencer[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned six of her eight career victories by stoppage. That includes both of her UFC wins.
[autotag]Zarah Fairn[/autotag] (6-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of her career.
[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]’s (13-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak at light heavyweight is tied with Jon Jones for the longest active streak in the division.
Ankalaev has earned all three of his UFC stoppage victories by knockout.
[autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
Megan Anderson
Anderson’s (11-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) three victories in UFC women’s featherweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Cris Cyborg (four).
Anderson’s three stoppage victories in UFC women’s featherweight competition are most in divisional history.
Anderson’s two knockout victories in UFC women’s featherweight competition are tied with Cyborg for most in divisional history.
[autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) had her four-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of her career.
[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned 14 of his 15 career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Darrick Minner[/autotag] (24-11 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered 10 of his 11 career victories by stoppage.
Preliminary card
Gabriel Silva vs. Kyler Phillips
Silva (8-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career 8-0.
Silva has suffered both of his career losses by decision.
[autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned 13 of his 14 career victories by stoppage. That includes both of his UFC wins.
[autotag]Tom Breese[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) fell to 1-1 since he moved up to the UFC middleweight division in May 2018.
Breese suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
[autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.
[autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered three of his four career losses by decision.
[autotag]TJ Brown[/autotag] (14-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered six of his seven career losses by stoppage.
[autotag]Spike Carlyle[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned eight of his nine career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Aalon Cruz[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has suffered all three of his career losses by stoppage.
Cruz suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
[autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Ismail Naurdiev[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has suffered both of his UFC losses by decision.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
