Phil Harris UFC Fight Night London Pre Fight Interview

Phil Harris talks to Kingdom MMA ahead of his fight in London

by Sam Heard @SamHeard_

On Saturday night in London's O2 arena the UFC will return to England for UFC Fight Night London: Gustafsson vs Manuwa. Opening up the event on Saturday night will be Phil Harris who will face off against Louis Gaudinot in a flyweight battle. Phil returns to fight in London where last February he picked up his first win in the Octagon and will be looking to add to that this weekend. Today Phil took some time out of his schedule to talk to Kingdom MMA about his fight and a few more topics such as John Lineker, Vaughan Lee and Davey Grant.

Sam: Thanks again for the interview ahead of your fight in London, we really appreciate your time.
How are you feeling with just under a week to go before the big fight? Has the training camp gone well?
Harris: Training camp has been very good, I'm feeling great and ready to fight.

Sam: Gaudinot clearly represents a completely different challenge to John Lineker, but are there any adjustments you will be making from your last fight?
Harris: We've worked on a few things for this fight that I'll be putting into action come Saturday.

Sam: At 1-2 in the UFC do you see this fight as all or nothing for your UFC career?
Harris: Pretty much, but I don't think about it.

Sam: Let's take a look back to your last fight, How did you feel when Lineker once again failed to make weight last October? Do you feel it put you at a disadvantage?
Harris: Being heavier is definitely an advantage it's annoying, I knew it was likely that he would miss weight.

Sam: Would you agree that in your last fight after getting caught with some heavy punches early on you forgot about your game plan and tried to compete with Lineker at his own game?
Harris: Yeah I made the mistake of wanting to get into a war and get FOTN I've learnt a lot from fight.

Sam: Do you think if you were given the opportunity to fight Lineker and stuck to the plan you had trained it would have been a different outcome?
Harris: Definitely I'd love to fight him again at some point.

Sam: The man who beat Gaudinot in his last fight is now scheduled to fight rank #2 Joseph Benavidez. Where do you hope a win over Gaudinot would put you in the division?
Harris: Just as long as I'm moving up closer to that title I'm happy, I think that's a way off ATM though. I've got to get some solid wins first.

Sam: You’ve fought in some of the biggest venues around the country from Wembley to the Phones 4U arena and will soon be throwing down in the O2 arena. Would you say it’s preferential to fight in London, closer to your hometown in Portsmouth, over Manchester or does it not really factor in?
Harris: I like fighting in London it feels like home to me, the fans will be behind me, it will give me that little edge.

Sam: With a win in London, would you like your next fight to still be on a UK UFC event or would you like to travel the world and fight like your fellow UFC fighter and occasional training partner Vaughan Lee?
Harris: I do prefer fighting in the UK but I'd like a fight in Vegas the home of fighting!

Sam: Have you had chance to see Vaughan Lee's fight yet and if so what did you think to Vaughan's performance in Macau?
Harris: I've just seen it, Vaughan performed like he does in training, for me it was the performance of the night. I was very impressed and very happy for him.

Sam: What has it been like experiencing the growth of MMA in the UK having been one of the early pioneers in the UK?
Harris: It's come along way from the days of training in garages and fighting in tiny clubs full of smoke. It's a great sport and I can't wait to see how it continues to evolve over the next 10 years.

Sam: Also on the same card as you is the guy you have been training with for this event, Davey Grant. What's it been like training with Davey and have you picked up any skills from him that you will be using in this fight?
Harris: Davey is a top guy it was great having him at the gym, we both got a lot out of training together and I will for sure be doing it again. I'm looking forward to seeing him win his fight.

Sam: Would you like to thank any one?
Harris: Thanks to all my sponsors and all at gym01 Portsmouth.

Best of luck with your fight on March 8th, thank you so much for your time Phil, we really appreciate it.

Stars of UFC London predict who will win at UFC 170

Phil Harris, Danny Mitchell and Brad Scott predict UFC 170

by Ben Heather @benheather

Normally before all the UFC events we put out our own predictions picking who we think will win and our reasoning for why. This week we thought we would try and mix it up and instead of giving you our picks we have instead asked some of the best UK fighters, who will all be showcasing their skills in the Octagon in a little over 2 weeks at UFC Fight Night 38 in London.

The fighters who will be predicting the fights for this event are:

Phil Harris (1-2 UFC 22-11-1 MMA)

The english flyweight who meets Louis Gaudinot in London. That fight will kick off the show in London and is sure to be a great battle between two tough flyweights. Phil will be looking to return to London in the UFC and get his hand raised again as he did in February '13 when he defeated Ulysses Gomez.

Danny Mitchell (14-4-1 MMA)

The Cheescake Assassin will make his UFC debut next month against Igor Araujo. Mitchell has a very good record and is a welcome addition to the UFC roster. Mitchell has faced a lot of top opppnents including Dean Amasinger, Gunnar Nelson and also fought to a draw against former Cage Warriors Welterweight champion Cathal Pendred.

Brad Scott (1-1 UFC 9-2 MMA)

First became a familiar name to UFC fans when he was part of Team UK on TUF: The Smashes where he made it all the way to the final of the welterweight bracket. He would lose that fight against Robert Whittaker but then moved up to middleweight. He made his UFC middleweight debut against Michael Kuiper in Manchester finishing him in the first round and will return to action again in London.

So lets get down to business, below you will find the predictions for the fighters.

Ronda Rousey vs Sara McMann

Harris: Rousey by Decision

Mitchell: Rousey by Submission Round 1

Scott: McMann by Decision

Daniel Cormier vs Pat Cummins

Harris: Cormier by TKO Round 1

Mitchell: Cormier by Decision

Scott: Cormier by KO

Rory MacDonald vs Demian Maia 

Harris: MacDonald by Decision

Mitchell: Macdonald by TKO Round 2

Scott: MacDonald by Decision

Mike Pyle vs TJ Waldburger

Harris: Waldburger by Decision

Mitchell: Pyle by TKO Round 1

Scott: Pyle by Decision

Robert Whittaker vs Stephen Thompson

Harris: Whittaker by TKO Round 2/3

Mitchell: Whittaker by Decision

Scott: Whittaker by TKO Round 2/3

There you have it, we would like to thank all the fighters for picking who they think will win and we will see on Saturday night who comes out with the most correct results.

UFC Fight Night 37 fight card Official - The Prelims

UFC announce the finalised line up for UFC Fight Night 37 - Kingdom MMA review the Prelims

by Ben Heather @benheather

With the tickets for UFC Fight Night 37 now on sale to fight club members and those who have signed up to the UFC Newsletter it has been announced that the line up for the event has been finalised.

UFC Fight Night 37 marks the return to the UK of the UFC and its first show in Europe of 2014. The fight card has been set at 10 fights and will consist of a 4 fight main card and 6 prelim fights.

Kingdom MMA will now take a look at the prelims and discuss what is on the line in each match up.

Phil Harris vs Louis Gaudinot

The show will be kicked off with a flyweight battle between England's Phil Harris (22-11-1 MMA 1-2 UFC) and #11 ranked Louis Gaudinot (6-3 MMA 1-2 UFC) as both men look to get back to winning ways following losses to John Lineker and Tim Elliott respectively. This fight will also mark the first time that Gaudinot has fought outside of the USA, while Harris will have the crowd on his side with the home field advantage. A loss for either fighter could result in them getting cut from the UFC, although with the flyweight division not exactly overflowing with fighters they may be safe for one more fight.

Danny Mitchell vs Igor Araujo

The next fight is in the Welterweight division and will see "The Cheesecake Assassin" Danny Mitchell (14-4-1 MMA) make his UFC debut against Brazilian Igor Araujo (24-6-1 MMA 1-0 UFC), who trains at Jackson's MMA. Between both men 75% of there victories have come via submission so we could be in for a real treat in this fight if it ends up on the floor.

Davey Grant vs Roland Delorme

TUF 18's Davey Grant (8-2 MMA 0-1 UFC) gets his wish in the next fight, although he didn't win The Ultimate Fighter in 2013 he did enough for the UFC to give him a contract. Now he gets at least one more shot in the octagon at UFC Fight Night 37, back on home soil as he squares off against five times UFC veteran Roland Delorme (9-2-1 MMA 3-1-1 UFC). This will be a tough test for Grant however, a win in this fight will certainly see him settle in the division and prove that he deserves to be in the UFC and he will certainly get the full backing of the English crowd.

Delorme will also be fighting outside of North America for the first time in his career so unlike Grant will have to deal with trying to cut weight while travelling and getting used to fighting at a different time zone. All of these factors could have an impact on the outcome of this fight and will be to Grant's advantage.

Then its the turn of the middleweights as two former TUF contestants Brad Scott (9-2 MMA 1-1 UFC) and Luke Barnatt (7-0 MMA 2-0 UFC) are set to defend British pride as they take on Claudio Henrique da Silva (9-1 MMA) and Mats Nilsson (11-2-1 MMA) respectively, who will both be making their UFC debuts.

Brad Scott vs Claudio Henrique da Silva

Brad Scott will be making his third appearance in the UFC after losing in the final of TUF The Smashes to Robert Whittaker but then submitting Michael Kuiper in the first round with a front choke in Manchester back in October. As with his last fight Scott has been out in American training at The MMA Lab in Arizona training with guys such as former champ Benson Henderson and Joe Riggs, which can only be a good thing for his preperation for this fight. Claudio Henrique da Silva who trains at London Shootfighters will be coming in to this fight looking to make a name for himself and prove to the world that he deserves to be in the UFC. By the time the fight takes place it will be nearly 18 months since his last fight though so UFC debut nerves and ring rust may play a factor in the fight.

Luke Barnatt vs Mats Nilsson

At 7-0 Luke Barnatt will be putting his undefeated record on the line again as he looks to work his way up the rankings with another win in London and this time he is fighting Swedish fighter Mats Nilsson. When this fight was announced many fans were shocked that Barnatt had not been given a bigger name fight but for Luke, as always he will not be leaving anything to chance as he prepares both physically and mentally for his fight. Nilsson, who fought and won twice last year for Cage Warriors is certainly taking a step up in competition as he makes his UFC debut.

I just hope we don't see anymore showboating from Luke in this fight and he sticks to business and focuses purely on finishing his opponent instead of celebrating before the job is complete.

Cyrille Diabate vs Ilir Latifi

The final bout on the prelims sees Ilir Latifi (7-3 MMA 0-1 UFC) make his return to the UFC after headlining UFC Sweden last year as a last minute injury replacement for Alex Gustafsson. The fact that Latifi headlined a UFC event in 2013 had to be one of the strangest stories of 2013 but he certainly didn't embarrass himself, if anything his stock rose in the fight. Yes he clearly lost the fight against Mousasi who was the better fighter and cruised for most of the fight but Latifi didn't look like he didn't belong in the Octagon with him. For this fight he gets a full camp to prepare for Cyrille Diabate (19-9-1 MMA 4-3 UFC) and we will certainly the best Ilir Latifi in March.

I didn't expect to see Diabate on this card due to the fact that his UFC record when fighting in the UK is 0-3 and his overall MMA record when fighting in the UK is 3-6 which is crazy for a guy with a very good record. That being said, two of those loses have come against Alex Gustafsson and Jimi Manuwa who will be fighting each other in the main event of this event so it shows the opposition he has been facing.

I think both men need to win this fight as a loss could have severe implications on their employment status with the UFC.


That marks my preview of the prelims for UFC Fight Night 37, make sure to keep checking Kingdom MMA for the breakdown of the main card.

Tickets are on sale now for this event at www.ticketmaster.co.uk

Louis Gaudinot vs Phil Harris Added to UFC Fight Night 37 in London

Louis Gaudinot vs Phil Harris Added to UFC Fight Night 37 in London 
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

A flyweight bout between England's Phil Harris and TUF 14 contestant Louis Gaudinot is the last addition to UFC Fight Night 37: Gustafsson vs Manuwa.

UFC Fight Night 37 takes place March 8 at London’s O2 Arena, and will stream on the UFC's new online subscription service, Fight Pass. Ticket go on general sale on Friday the 31st of January, with UFC newsletter subscribers able to purchase on the 30th, and UFC Fight Club members able to purchase on the 29th.

Former Ring of Combat Flyweight Champion Louis Gaudinot (6-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) got his break in the UFC via the TUF 14 house, where he fought as a Bantamweight beating British veteran Paul McVeigh for a place in the house. Gaudinot was defeated in his only fight in the house when he fought Dustin Pague in a fight which netted both Gaudinot and Pague $25,000 each for fight of the season. Gaudinot later fought at The TUF 14 finale where he was beaten by the much larger Johnny Bedford.

Following losses to Pague and Bedford, the 29-year-old returned to flyweight where he has previously been ranked as high as 7th in the world to defeat current flyweight contender John Lineker at UFC of FOX: Diaz vs Miller, before losing to Time Elliot at UFC 164.  
 
His opponent Phil Harris enters the bout with an identical UFC record as Gaudinot of 1 win and 2 loss. A pro for over 10 years, Harris (22-11 MMA, 1-2 UFC) made his UFC debut on the back of a 5 fight win streak which included a decision victory over Neil Seery. Debuting at UFC on FX: Browne vs Bigfoot, Harris was defeated by Darren Uyenoyama by Rear Naked Choke in the 2nd round.

The 30-year old Judo Blackbelt returned at UFC on Fuel 7 in London to defeat former Tachi Palace Champion Ulysses Gomez via unanimous decision. Harris then fought John Lineker at UFC Fight Night 30 who knocked out Harris in the first round.

With the addition of Gaudinot vs Harris, UFC Fight Nightg 37 includes:

Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jimi Manuwa
Melvin Guillard vs. Ross Pearson
Ian McCall vs. Brad Pickett
Cyrille Diabate vs. Ilir Latifi
Omari Akhmedov vs. Gunnar Nelson
Louis Gaudinot and Phil Harris
Igor Araujo vs. Danny Mitchell
Luke Barnatt vs. Mats Nilsson
Brad Scott vs. Claudio Henrique da Silva

Phil Harris chats to Kingdom MMA about UFC Fight Night 30 "I'm here to win no matter what"

Kingdom MMA catch up with Phil Harris before he meets John Lineker at UFC Manchester on Saturday night

by Ben Heather @benheather

Saturday night marks the UFC's return to the UK, unfortunately the original main event which was Michael Bisping's return to the UK was cancelled when he was forced to pull out due to recurrence of his detached retina injury. But the replacement main event was a fitting replacement as the UK will see Lyoto Machida make his middleweight debut. However the main card kicks off with a flyweight battle in which the UK's own Phil Harris takes on John Lineker. Originally this fight was due to take place in Brazil but Harris got injured and so Manchester will now host the fight and today we got chance to catch up with Phil Harris.

Ben: Hi Phil, Thanks for your time, how has the camp gone for this fight and where have you been preparing for this fight?
Harris: The camp has gone really well I've done all of my camp at gym01 in Portsmouth we have lots of great fighters in the lighter weights to make sure I'm ready also the likes of Vaughan Lee, Mark Handley and Joe Lawerence have been down to help with some sparring.

Ben: How excited are you to get back in the octagon after a spell on the sides due to injury?
Harris: It's not been that long about 6 months but I'm itching to get back in there this is what I love to do.

Ben: This is your first main card slot with the UFC. Does that give you extra motivation to grab people's attention whilst the spotlight is on you?
Harris: It certainly will get me noticed more being on the main card, but it really doesn't affect me to much, I'm here to win no matter what.

Ben: You have pretty much had two full camps preparing for this fight, how motivated are you to get the win?
Harris: I'm mega motivated and 100% focused for this fight.

Ben: How much of an advantage do you think the change of location will have for you. Last time you was due to fight in Brazil and now you have the home country advantage.
Harris: It definitely helps, I've no jet lag, I know what the food is like I have the crowd on my side, all these things help in the build up to the fight and in the fight, its nice to have the crowd cheering for you.

Ben: What did you make to his performance last time out at UFC 163 where he beat Jose Maria Tome?
Harris: He looked good, but Jose Maria tome was a late replacement and probably not in the best shape to fight.

Ben: Lineker has a bit of a reputation for missing weight going in to fights, has this thought crossed your mind at all and what is your opinion on fighters constantly missing weight?
Harris: Not at all I'm sure he will make weight this time. It's not professional missing weight but these things can happen.

Ben: We all know John Lineker hits very hard, how do you prepare for that in sparring without getting cut/hurt?
Harris: It's a matter of sparring cleaver I wear big gloves and head protection. Also it's a case of building up conditioning over weeks of a training camp.

Ben: Obviously you have been given the all clear after fracturing your orbital bone before you were scheduled to fight John the first time in Brazil at UFC 163 but has it caused you any issues in training for this fight?
Harris: No I've got a decent head guard and train cleaver not reckless and I didn't start sparring again till I had the all clear to do so.

Ben: A win over John Lineker is a very big deal. Especially when the division is still finding its feet and is short in numbers. Where do you think a win puts you?
Harris: Beating John will push me a step closer to UFC gold that's all that matters. Keep moving forward.

Thank you for your time and good luck on Saturday night, all of the guys from the site will be there cheering you on along with everyone else in the arena.

Change of destination as Harris vs Lineker re booked for UFC Fight Night 30

Phil Harris vs John Lineker set to battle as UFC returns to England

by Ben Heather @benheather

The UFC have re booked a flyweight battle between Phil Harris (22-10 MMA 1-1 UFC) and John Lineker (22-6 MMA 3-1 UFC) which was originally booked for UFC 163 which took place this past weekend in Rio, Brazil. Unfortunately Phil Harris had to pull out of the original fight due to a facial injury. The injury happened just over two weeks before the fight when he got caught while sparring and fractured his orbital bone.

John Lineker still fought at UFC 163, defeating Jose Maria Tome by TKO in the second round. He looked very impressive in the fight but all of that good work was undone the day before when at weigh ins he weighed in at 129lbs. This was the second time in four UFC fights that Lineker has missed weight.

However, now the UFC has re booked the original match up except for one big change.... this time Phil Harris now has home field advantage. He will be fighting in England in front of potentially 21,000 British fans instead of walking in to the lion den in Brazil. Today Kingdom MMA caught up with Phil who told us what it meant to be fighting in England now.

"Having this fight in the UK and not Brazil puts the ball in my court, no flights, different time zones different food and of course the home crowd support will all go along way in helping me get the win!"

Also, Harris has already spent nearly a full camp preparing for John Lineker but didn't get to put that training in to action and now by the time UFC Fight Night 30 he will have had another full camp and will be very motivated to get in to the octagon and prove to the world that not only can he beat John Lineker but also that he will prove he is one of the best flyweights in the world.

"Training for this fight twice makes me want the win even more, I'm so excited for this fight, Lineker is coming off 3 wins and he's stopped his last two opponents so beating him will cement my place in the world top 10."

Tickets for the event go on sale to Fight Club members at 10am on Monday 12th August, on the 16th August for the UFC Newsletter Presale and 10am on 19th August the tickets go on general sale. Tickets are priced from £75-£450.

Stay tuned to Kingdom MMA for all the latest news regarding the UFC's return to England.

Phil Harris out of UFC 163

Phil Harris is the latest fighter to pull out of a fight due to an injury

by Jack Broadey @J3cK_b

Phil Harris will miss out on his big opportunity of facing John Lineker in Lineker's home country of Brazil on the main card of ufc 163. The British flyweight was caught in sparring preparing for the fight and has unfortunately fractured his orbital bone.

Harris made his UFC debut in October unfortunately he was submitted in the second round of that fight. That loss snapped a five fight win streak but he got back to winning ways when the UFC returned to the UK in February as he beat Ulysses Gomez.

Lineker will now fight Jose Maria Tome, who he defeated in 2009. Will this fight also finish via a first round submission victory or will Tome pull off the upset.... we will find out at UFC 163.

Fighter vs Writer - UFC 162 Main Card Picks Challenge - Phil Harris vs Jack Broadey

UFC Fighter Phil Harris challenges Kingdom MMA in a picks challenge

by Jack Broadey @J3cK_b

Welcome to another Kingdom MMA fighter vs writer challenge.

For this challenge we challenge some of the big names from the world of MMA to give us their picks and fight outcomes for specific MMA events. Then they will be challenged by one of our writers, who will make their own predictions. Previously we have challenged Luke Barnatt twice and Jim Alers. Last time out at UFC 161 Jim Alers was the first fighter to beat one of our Kingdom MMA writers.

For this event I will be challenging Phil Harris, who is set to fight at UFC 163 will be predicting the fight outcomes from UFC 162 which is headlined by Chris Weidman challenging Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight championship. 

Before we go in to the details of the competition we caught up with Phil Harris this week and spoke about his fight at UFC 163.

You are fighting at UFC 163 in Brazil and we all know the Brazilian crowd back their fighters more than any other fight fan in the world, how have you been preparing yourself mentally to enter the 'lions den'?
The Brazilian fans are well known for backing their fighters but once the cage door closes its me vs him so no matter who the crowd are cheering for this wont change my focus to win.

You are fighting John Lineker, who is considered a top 10 flyweight in the world. Do you think a win over Lineker cements your place in the top 10 rankings?
Beating John Lineker will definitely put me in the top 10, he's one of the best 125lb fighters in the world.

How has your training camp been for the fight, have you been working on improving any part of your game going into the bout?
Training has been great for this fight camp, just about all of my camp is done at gym01 in Portsmouth we have great coaches and a gym full of small guys so its ideal for me.

I believe you have also been out in Thailand training at Tiger Muay Thai ahead of this fight, is that something you do during most fight camps, or is your striking game something you have specifically worked on for this fight?
I went to Tiger Muay Thai before I knew about the fight, just to improve on my all round game but specifically my striking.

What areas do you feel you have an advantage over John Lineker?
John is obviously a good striker but I'm happy to trade with him but I think my advantage will be against the cage in the clinch and on the ground.

Are you hoping to fight again this year after UFC 163, would the Manchester event be a card you'd like to fight on?
I've not thought about fighting again this year, I want to get this fight done then make plans. It would be good to spend some time with the family after this fight.

Thank you for answering our questions Phil, now its time to start the competition.

The Scoring

If you predict the correct winner of the fight you will get one point and if you predict the correct method of victory you will get an extra point. However, if the fight ends in a stoppage and you predict the round as well the method you could earn a third bonus point. If the fight goes the distance you can only earn a maximum of two points.

The predictions:

Main Event: Anderson Silva vs Chris Weidman

Harris: Anyone who bets against Anderson is insane.

Prediction: Silva by TKO Round 2 

Jack: I'm torn on this one. Anderson can't go on forever and he will eventually lose to a top wrestler. I just don't know if that top wrestler will be Weidman. He certainly will take Silva down but can he rinse and repeat for 5 rounds? That's the big question for me. I'm just insane enough to believe he can do it.

Prediction: Weidman by Decision

Frankie Edgar vs Charles Oliveira

Harris: Frankie will comfortably win every round.

Prediction: Edgar by Decision

Jack: This is an awesome fight. Oliveira is no joke but he's no Frankie Edgar. I expect Edgar to stamp his authority on this one and get the finish.

Prediction: Edgar by TKO Round 3

Tim Kennedy vs Roger Gracie

Harris: I am not sure about this fight but I'm going for Gracie.

Prediction: Gracie by Submission Round 1

Jack: I like Gracie as well here. Could look very similar to Maia-Fitch but I also see Gracie eventually locking onto some sort of choke.

Prediction: Gracie by Submission Round 2

Mark Munoz vs Tim Boetsch

Harris: Tim Boetsch will take this fight. 

Prediction: Boetsch by Decision 

Jack: Difficult one to read. Munoz has been inactive for so long but Boetsch isn't all that great either. I think Munoz if he's anywhere near what he used to be should be able to take this down and use his G&P to win this.

Prediction: Munoz by TKO Round 2

Cub Swanson vs Dennis Siver

Harris: Cub will take this, he will out wrestle Siver.

Prediction: Swanson by Decision 

Jack: I Like Siver in the upset here. Siver has looked great since dropping down to Featherweight. I think he's the better technical striker and should be able to keep it up long enough to win a decision.

Prediction: Siver by Decision

So that's our predictions for the fights, we will be live tweeting on Saturday night as always and we will keep you all informed as to how the challenge is going with latest scores throughout the main card.

Thanks again to Phil for providing us with his picks for this weekends fights and it just leaves me to say.... May the best man win!!