PHIL’S NEVER FELT BETTER FOR BOUT
Sunderland MMA fighter Phillip De Fries will look to retain his heavyweight title in Poland next weekend and the KSW fighter has said he’s back to his best.
The heavyweight fighter will be looking to retain the championship for the second time after claiming the title in April 2018.
“It’s been great,” said De Fries, talking about the preparation ahead of this fight. “I got back into the country on Sunday and I’m back at a local gym. I’ve never felt better.”
“Spending time away from the family was tough, but I’m excited to be back.”
But it hasn’t always been an easy path to glory for the 32-year-old. He fought with UFC in 2011, but only fought five times with them, working his way to a 2-3 record.
“I had some really hard times with depression and anxiety” he said.
“My last fight was the first time in a while I felt really comfortable in there.
“Before that it was sheer terror.”
After his final UFC fight in 2013, De Fries spent eight months away from the spotlight before returning with a win in his first fight back.
KSW are a Polish fight organisation who the fighter signed with following his troubles. In his first fight with the company, he took control of the heavyweight title and successfully defended it in October 2018.
That fight came at Wembley arena, one of two times in his current four fight winning streak he performed in the UK.
“Because it’s a Polish company about 90% of the crowd there was Polish,” he explained.
“But I’d love to have a KSW event in the North East one day.”
His last win in the Tyne and Wear area came through a submission in California based promotion company Bellator’s event back in December 2017 and he is yet to return.
Despite fighting out of Chula Vista, California, De Fries has fought four of his last nine events in the North East.
He will be going head to head with Polish fighter Tomasz Narkun, who will be in front of a home crowd.
However, the Mackem isn’t worried about hostility. “The Polish crowds aren’t disrespectful at all towards me,” he said.
“[Narkun] isn’t liked much by fans so I’ve had lots of Polish fans message me and say they hope I smash him!”
Narkun currently holds a belt in his own right. He won the KSW light heavyweight title in 2015 and has defended it three times, working his way to a 16-2 record compared to De Fries’ 16-6.
12,000 MMA fans are expected to sell out the Atlas Arena in Poland with De Freis and Narkun as the main fight on the evening’s card of action.