Sizing Up John “The Welsh Wrecking Machine” Phillips

UFC Career

UFC Record: 1-3

John “The Welsh Wrecking Machine” Phillips has not had the best start to his UFC career. He lost his UFC debut due to a rear-naked choke in the first round. In his second UFC fight, Phillips lost via rear-naked choke again, this time in the third round. He then lost his third UFC fight via split-decision. In his fourth UFC fight, Phillips was finally able to earn his first win inside the octagon via a knockout in just 17 seconds. Things are looking up for Phillips after his last fight, however, he is certainly not out of the woods yet. He could really use another solid win in his next fight to ensure he has a future in the UFC.

The Victory

Vs. Alen Amedovski | UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Cannonier | Win by Technical knockout

This fight was over fast. Only 17 seconds had passed between the time the bell rang and the time the fight was over. John Phillips quickly put Amedovski on his back with a few well-timed shots. Phillips then immediately pounced on him, landing some clean shots before the fight was ended. THIS is the John Phillips everyone has been waiting to see since he came to the UFC. His performance in this fight earned him a $50,000 performance of the night bonus. If he can keep winning fights like this, Phillips will be destined for great things.

The Defeats

Vs. Charles Byrd | UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov | Loss via rear-naked choke

This fight quickly started off bad for John Phillips. Byrd took him down immediately and began working his ground game, earning a full mount fast. From there, Byrd wore down Phillips, eventually taking his back. Byrd was able to lock in a rear-naked choke, forcing Phillips to tap out in the first round. Phillips showed solid defense early, but Byrd’s ground game proved too much for him to handle. This is certainly a fight that Phillips wishes he could take back, as he wasn’t able to show much of his talents.

Vs. Kevin Holland | UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Ngannou 2 | Loss via rear-naked choke

Phillips started this fight off as the aggressor. He controlled the center of the octagon early and often. However, he got hurt early by some well-timed body shots by Holland. Holland kept Phillips pinned against the cage, landing shots for a solid minute before moving back to the middle. Phillips showed his great chin by eating every shot that Holland threw at him while he was in danger. The first round ended with Phillips taking a huge knee and eating some shots on the ground.

The second round started off much better for Phillips. He kept moving forward, landing shot after shot early. Holland was in real danger early but managed to shake it off. Phillips continued to be the aggressor during the second round. However, Phillips kept taking damage to his body by way of some vicious body kicks by Holland. The third round started with Holland taking down Phillips quickly and taking his back. Phillips was able to briefly recover and even earned top-position before giving up his back again and succumbing to a rear-naked choke. Phillips showed some great heart and defense in this fight.

Vs. Jack Marshman | UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal | Loss via split decision

This fight started off slow, with both fighters spending the first minute just trying to get a feel for each other. John Phillips was the aggressor early. He landed some solid shots, even getting an early knockdown, and did some solid work in the clinch. The first round easily went to Phillips. The second round was spent mostly trading shots on their feet. Phillips was again the aggressor for a majority of the round. He was dropped with a kick to the body, however, he was able to jump up quickly. Phillips had a case for winning the second round with his strikes landed and by being the aggressor. The third round offered more of the same as the first two rounds. Both fighters stayed on their feet and traded shots. Phillips was the aggressor and landed some clean shots. This fight really could have gone Phillips’ way, but two of the judges decided otherwise.

Where Did Phillips Fight Before the UFC?

John Phillips bounced around multiple promotions before finally getting his shot in the UFC. Among those promotions, he had the most success for Cage Rage Championships, British Association of Mixed Martial Arts (BAMMA), and Cage Warriors. Phillips was able to win the world middleweight championship during his time with BAMMA. Phillips’ time prior to the UFC is full of knockout victories.

Fighting Style and Habits

John Phillips is a striker, through and through. Phillips is a lefty and packs some serious punch. With 20 of his 22 career victories coming by way of knockout, Phillips has made a name for himself as a knockout artist. Being a former boxer, Phillips is most comfortable keeping the fight on his feet, however, he has shown that he can handle himself on the ground in a pinch. He needs to continue to improve his submission defense, as that is his greatest weakness. Despite being known for knockouts, Phillips usually doesn’t let his desire to earn the knockout get himself into trouble. He will often be the aggressor but rarely will you see him overextended or getting caught by counters. Phillips is a very intelligent striker that has the tools to be a household name in the UFC.

What Is up Next for John Phillips?

Things are a little uncertain for John Phillips at the moment. He snapped his three-fight losing streak with a knockout in just 17 seconds, which should earn him at least one more chance in the UFC. Phillips was scheduled to face the undefeated Dusko Todorovic at UFC Fight Night 171 in March, but the event was ultimately canceled due to travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Now, it is unclear who he will be facing next.

John Phillips has shown solid improvement in every fight he has had so far in the UFC. He will certainly be looking to secure another win in whatever fight he is offered next. A rematch against Jack Marshman would be great, as neither fighter really got to showcase their power. However, Phillips should really be targeting a fight against someone like Gerald Meerschaert, as a win against an opponent like him would shoot him up the rankings. No matter who he faces, John Phillips has a bright future in the UFC if he can tap into his full potential. This man is an absolute menace and can knock anyone’s head off.

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