Costas Philippou

Constantinos Philippou (born November 29, 1979) is a Cypriot former mixed martial artist. He formerly fought for the UFC's Middleweight division.

Early life Philippou was born in Limassol on 29 November 1979.

Career Boxing Philippou began boxing in 1994 and had his first fight six months later. In 2005, his best friend and coach Polis encouraged him to move to the United States to become a professional. Costas fought in the Golden Gloves two months after coming to the United States, but lost in the finals at Madison Square Garden by a split decision to Nagy Aguilera. Philippou then turned pro and had three fights three wins, the third being featured on ESPN. Costas transitioned to MMA after disputes with his manager and coach.

Mixed martial arts Philippou made his professional MMA debut in May 2008 for the Ring of Combat promotion, losing to fellow future UFC fighter Ricardo Romero by split decision. However, he subsequently amassed a record of 7 wins, 1 loss and 1 no contest within that promotion. Philippou had previously trained with the Serra-Longo Fight Team, but as of May 30, 2013, he decided to switch camps to Bellmore Kickboxing Academy. According to Matt Serra, Philippou left the team on good terms.

The Ultimate Fighter 11 Philippou first made his appearance in the UFC on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz. However, he never made it as part of the cast to move into the house after losing to Joseph Henle via submission in the opening elimination bout.

Ultimate Fighting Championship Philippou got a second chance in the UFC after stepping in as a late replacement for Dan Miller, who was moved up the card to face Nate Marquardt, facing Nick Catone at UFC 128 in a catchweight bout of 195 pounds. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Philippou was expected to face BJJ black belt Rafael Natal on August 6, 2011, at UFC 133, replacing an injured Riki Fukuda. However, an injury forced Alessio Sakara out of his main card bout against Jorge Rivera, and Philippou was pulled from his bout with Natal and named as Sakara's replacement against Rivera. Philippou won the fight via split decision, earning his first UFC victory.

Philippou faced off against Jared Hamman on December 10, 2011, at UFC 140. He won the match via KO at 3:11 in the first round.

Philippou fought TUF 11 winner Court McGee on March 3, 2012, at UFC on FX 2. He won the fight via unanimous decision after a back and forth bout.

Philippou next defeated Riki Fukuda via unanimous decision on July 7, 2012, at UFC 148.

Philippou was expected to face Nick Ring on November 17, 2012, at UFC 154 however, the fight was cancelled on the day of the event as Ring fell ill.

Philippou replaced his injured training partner Chris Weidman against Tim Boetsch at UFC 155 on December 29, 2012. Philippou was victorious with a third round TKO stoppage.

Philippou was expected to face Ronaldo Souza on May 18, 2013, at UFC on FX 8. However, Philippou pulled out of the bout in early May, citing a cut above his eye, and was replaced by Chris Camozzi.

Philippou next faced Francis Carmont at UFC 165. He lost the fight via unanimous decision (30–26, 30–27, 30–27).

Philippou faced Luke Rockhold on January 15, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 35. He lost the fight via KO in the first round.

Philippou faced Lorenz Larkin in the co-main event at UFC Fight Night 40. He won the fight via knockout in the first round.

Philippou was expected to face Uriah Hall on January 18, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 59, however, Philippou would be forced out the bout due to injury.

Philippou faced Gegard Mousasi on May 16, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 66. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

On July 7, 2015, Philippou retired from mixed martial arts competition. Earlier in the day, he made his Twitter account private, with an avatar that read, "THIS ACCOUNT IS NO LONGER IN SERVICE. PLEASE UNFOLLOW." The UFC then confirmed via Twitter that Phillippou had told them of his retirement.

Personal life Philippou resides in New York City.

Championships and accomplishments Ultimate Fighting Championship UFC.com Awards 2011: Ranked #10 Newcomer of the Year 2012: Ranked #10 Fighter of the Year

Ring of Combat ROC Middleweight Championship (1 time)

Mixed martial arts record Loss

Gegard Mousasi Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Faber

Pasay, Philippines Win

Lorenz Larkin KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva

Cincinnati, Ohio, United States Loss

Luke Rockhold TKO (body kick) UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Philippou

Duluth, Georgia, United States Loss

Francis Carmont Decision (unanimous) UFC 165

Toronto, Ontario, Canada Win

Tim Boetsch TKO (punches) UFC 155

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Riki Fukuda Decision (unanimous) UFC 148

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Court McGee Decision (unanimous) UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann

Sydney, Australia Win

Jared Hamman KO (punches) UFC 140

Toronto, Ontario, Canada Win

Jorge Rivera Decision (split) UFC 133

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Loss

Nick Catone Decision (unanimous) UFC 128

Newark, New Jersey, United States Win

Uriah Hall Decision (majority) Ring of Combat 34

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Aung La N Sang TKO (punches) Ring of Combat 33

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States NC

Marcus Finch NC (groin kick) Ring of Combat 32

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Victor O'Donnell Decision (unanimous) Ring of Combat 26

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Aaron Meisner Submission (rear-naked choke) Ring of Combat 23

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

John Doyle TKO (punches) Ring of Combat 22

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Brendan Barrett TKO (doctor stoppage) Ring of Combat 21

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Tony Andreocci KO (punch) Ring of Combat 20

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Loss

Ricardo Romero Decision (split) Ring of Combat 19

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States