Kyler Phillips Record: 12-5-0

Octagon rise

Phillips opened his UFC run in style, outpointing Gabriel Silva over three rounds in early 2020 and then stopping Cameron Else by second-round TKO. His signature win came in March 2021 at UFC 259, where he handed surging contender Yadong Song a unanimous-decision loss in a striking showcase. A majority-decision setback to Raulian Paiva later that year slowed his momentum, but Phillips rebounded with one of his slickest finishes, submitting Marcelo Rojo with a third-round triangle-armbar at UFC 271 in February 2022.

Contender stretch

Phillips kept building, grinding out unanimous decisions over the durable Raoni Barcelos in 2023 and veteran Pedro Munhoz at UFC 299 in 2024. Those wins pushed him toward the rankings, but the back end of his run has been bumpy: he dropped unanimous decisions to Rob Font and Vinicius Oliveira, then a decision to Charles Jourdain, leaving his record at 12-5 and underscoring how unforgiving the bantamweight top tier has become.

Fighting style

Phillips is a true mixed martial artist with a 58% finish rate, splitting his 12 wins between five knockouts, two submissions and five decisions. His striking is his calling card – rangy, rhythmic and full of feints and spinning attacks that play off his “Matrix” movement – while his jiu-jitsu and wrestling base give him real finishing threats on the mat, as the triangle-armbar of Rojo and the head-kick knockout on the regional scene both showed. His weakness has been clear in the data: all five of his career losses have come by decision, a sign that elite opponents have learned to neutralize his offense and out-grind him over 15 minutes when he can't force the finish.

Career highlights

• UFC 259 statement — outpointed top prospect Yadong Song over three rounds in March 2021, his most notable scalp and a true coming-out performance.
• Contender Series finish — a first-round ground-and-pound stoppage of James Gray in 2017 announced him as a UFC-ready prospect.
• Slickest submission — locked up a third-round triangle-armbar on Marcelo Rojo at UFC 271, showing the grappling depth behind his striking flash.