Introduction
Philip De Fries (born 21 April 1986) is an English mixed martial artist currently competing in the heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2009, De Fries has formerly competed for the UFC.
Mixed martial arts career
Background
De Fries began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu at the age of 14, and also worked as a drugs counselor before becoming a professional fighter. Since the very beginning of his MMA career, De Fries has shown great submission skills, defeating the likes of Darren Towler and Stav Economou. He made his professional debut in 2009.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
After his win over Stav Economou, De Fries was scouted and has since signed a fight deal with the UFC.
De Fries was expected to make his debut against Oli Thompson at UFC 138. However, on 17 October 2011, it was revealed that Thompson had to pull out of the bout due to injury and was replaced by Rob Broughton. De Fries won the fight via unanimous decision.
In his second UFC fight, De Fries faced Stipe Miocic on 15 February 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV 1. He lost the fight via KO in the first round.
De Fries faced former strongman Oli Thompson at UFC on Fox 4. He won the fight via submission in the second round.
De Fries was expected to face Matt Mitrione on 29 December 2012 at UFC 155. However, Mitrione stepped up to fight Roy Nelson at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson Finale and was replaced by Todd Duffee. De Fries lost via first round TKO due to punches.
Mitrione vs. De Fries eventually took place on 6 April 2013 at UFC on Fuel TV 9. He lost the bout via knockout in the first round. Following the loss De Fries was released from the promotion.
Post-UFC
Following his release from the UFC, De Fries return to action on 31 December 2013 in Japan as he faced Strikeforce veteran Brett Rogers at Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2013. He won the fight via rear naked choke submission in the first round.
He then faced Judo specialist Satoshi Ishii on the IGF 1 card which took place on 5 April 2014. De Fries lost this fight via unanimous decision.
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 18 matches | 12 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 4 |
| By submission | 10 | 0 |
| By decision | 1 | 1 |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 12–5 (1) | Thomas Denham | TKO (punches) | M4tC 22: Warriors | 000000002016-11-26-000026 November 2016 | 1 | 1:37 | Tyne and Wear, England | |
| Loss | 11–5 (1) | Thomas Denham | TKO (punches) | M4tC 16: Invasion | 000000002015-02-28-000028 February 2015 | 1 | 1:01 | Tyne and Wear, England | |
| Win | 11–4 (1) | Łukasz Parobiec | Submission (rear-naked choke) | M4tC 15: Bad Blood | 000000002014-11-29-000029 November 2014 | 1 | 2:03 | Tyne and Wear, England | |
| Loss | 10–4 (1) | Satoshi Ishii | Decision (unanimous) | Inoki Genome Fight 1 | 000000002014-04-05-00005 April 2014 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 10–3 (1) | Brett Rogers | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2013 | 000000002013-12-31-000031 December 2013 | 1 | 3:45 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Loss | 9–3 (1) | Matt Mitrione | KO (punches) | UFC on Fuel TV: Mousasi vs. Latifi | 000000002013-04-06-00006 April 2013 | 1 | 0:19 | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| Loss | 9–2 (1) | Todd Duffee | TKO (punches) | UFC 155 | 000000002012-12-29-000029 December 2012 | 1 | 2:04 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 9–1 (1) | Oli Thompson | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera | 000000002012-08-04-00004 August 2012 | 2 | 4:16 | Los Angeles, California, United States | |
| Loss | 8–1 (1) | Stipe Miocic | KO (punches) | UFC on Fuel TV: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger | 000000002012-02-15-000015 February 2012 | 1 | 0:43 | Omaha, Nebraska, United States | |
| Win | 8–0 (1) | Rob Broughton | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 138 | 000000002011-11-05-00005 November 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Birmingham, England | |
| Win | 7–0 (1) | Stav Economou | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Ultimate Warrior Challenge 16 | 000000002011-07-02-00002 July 2011 | 2 | 3:56 | Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England | |
| Win | 6–0 (1) | Colin Robinson | Submission (armbar) | Supremacy Fight Challenge 2 | 000000002011-05-29-000029 May 2011 | 1 | 1:33 | Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England | |
| Win | 5–0 (1) | Andy Spiers | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Supremacy Fight Challenge 1 | 000000002011-02-27-000027 February 2011 | 1 | 3:14 | Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England | |
| NC | 4–0 (1) | Dave Wilson | No Contest (punches to the back of the head) | Tyneside Fighting Challenge | 000000002010-06-20-000020 June 2010 | 1 | N/A | Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, England | |
| Win | 4–0 | Darren Towler | Submission (D'arce choke) | Strike and Submit 14 | 000000002010-05-30-000030 May 2010 | 1 | 3:37 | Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England | |
| Win | 3–0 | Grant Hocking | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Strike and Submit 13 | 000000002010-02-28-000028 February 2010 | 1 | 1:35 | Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England | |
| Win | 2–0 | Jamie Sheldon | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Strike and Submit 12 | 000000002009-10-04-00004 October 2009 | 1 | 2:10 | Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England | |
| Win | 1–0 | Darren Towler | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Strike and Submit 10 | 000000002009-04-26-000026 April 2009 | 1 | 4:48 | Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England |