John Phillips

John Phillips (born 9 June 1985) is a Welsh Middleweight bare-knuckle boxer. He is also a former mixed martial artist. A professional since 2005, he has also competed for BAMMA, Cage Rage, Ultimate Fighting Championship, and Cage Warriors.

His next fight came on 17 March 2018 at UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov against Charles Byrd, where both fighters made their UFC debut. He lost the fight via a submission due to a rear-naked choke in round three.

Phillips faced Kevin Holland on 1 June 2018 at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Ngannou 2. Phillips lost the fight via submission late in round three.

Phillips faced fellow Welshman Jack Marshman on 16 March 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 5 At the weigh-ins, Marshman weighed in at 188 lbs, 2 pounds over the middleweight non-title fight limit of 186 lbs. He was fined 20% of his fight purse and the bout proceeded at catchweight. Phillips lost the bout via split decision.

In his next fight Phillips faced Alen Amedovski at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Cannonier on 28 September 2019. He won via knockout in 17 seconds of the first round. This was his first win in the UFC and earned him the $50,000 performance of the night bonus.

Phillips was scheduled to face Duško Todorović on 21 March 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Edwards. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic travel bans, the bout was moved to Cage Warriors 113 but was later on removed from the card due to Todorović's travel restrictions.

Phillips was expected to face Duško Todorović on 16 July 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Ige. On 8 July Todorović pulled out due to a potential medical issue. He was replaced by promotional newcomer Khamzat Chimaev. Phillips lost the fight via submission in round two.

Phillips faced Jun Yong Park on 18 October 2020 at UFC Fight Night 180. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

On 13 November 2020 it was announced that Phillips had been released from the UFC.

Bare-knuckle boxing Phillips made his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship debut against Fábio Maldonado on 5 April 2025 at BKFC 72 Dubai: Day 2. After landing a second knockdown, he won the fight by knockout in the second round.

Phillips faced Ryan Barrett on 30 May 2026 at BKFC 90. He won the fight by knockout in the first round.

Championships and accomplishments Mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Alen Amedovski BAMMA BAMMA Middleweight Champion (One time) Rage in the Cage Rage in the Cage Middleweight Tournament Winner (One time)

Mixed martial arts record Loss

Jun Yong Park Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Loss

Khamzat Chimaev Submission (D'Arce choke) UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige 16 July 2020

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Win

Alen Amedovski KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Cannonier

Copenhagen, Denmark Loss

Jack Marshman Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal 16 March 2019

London, England Loss

Kevin Holland Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Ngannou 2 28 September 2018

Beijing, China Loss

Charles Byrd Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov 17 March 2018

London, England Win

Jose Otavio dos Santos Lacerda KO (punch) Budo FC 16 24 September 2016

Swansea, Wales Win

Cheick Kone TKO (punch) BAMMA 24 27 February 2016

Dublin, Ireland Win

Markus Di Gallo KO (punch)

| Win

Charlie Ward KO (punch)

Loss

Jesse Taylor Submission (guillotine choke) Cage Warriors 54 4 May 2013

Cardiff, Wales Win

Chris Fields Submission (guillotine choke) Cage Warriors 48 21 July 2012

London, England Win

Tomas Penz Submission (triangle choke) Cage Warriors: Fight Night 6 24 May 2012

Isa Town, Bahrain Loss

Pavel Kusch Submission (heel hook) Cage Warriors: Fight Night 5 12 April 2012

Amman, Jordan Win

Matt Ewin TKO (injury) KnuckleUp MMA 8 29 October 2011

Kingston upon Hull, England Loss

Frank Trigg TKO (doctor stoppage) BAMMA 6 21 May 2011

London, England Win

James Zikic TKO (punches) BAMMA 4 25 September 2010

Birmingham, England Win

Johnny Gillan TKO (punches) Fight UK 1 2 May 2010

Leicester, England Win

Marius Liaukevicius TKO (punches) Celtic Fight Night 3 6 March 2010

Brecon, Wales Win

Danny Welsh TKO (punches to the body) Trojan MMA: Trojan Warfare 27 February 2010

Exeter, Wales Win

Matt Thorpe TKO (punches) KnuckleUp MMA 4 20 February 2010

Cheltenham, Wales Loss

Denniston Sutherland TKO (submission to punches) BAMMA 1 27 June 2009

London, England Win

Bohumil Lungrik TKO (punches) World Freefight Challenge 8 18 April 2009

Ljubljana, Slovenia Win

Tommy Gunn TKO (punches) Predator Fight Night 1 9 November 2008

Swansea, Wales Win

Jake Bostwick TKO (submission to punches) Cage Rage 28 9 November 2008

London, England Loss

Tom Watson Decision (unanimous) Cage Rage 27 12 July 2008

London, England NC

Jake Bostwick No Contest Cage Rage 25 8 March 2008

London, England Win

Christos Petroutsos TKO (punches) Cage Rage Contenders: Wales 18 November 2007

Swansea, Wales Win

Mihaly Dobrai KO MedVid: Anno Domini 1 9 June 2007

Pula, Croatia Win

Mario Valentic TKO (punches) MedVid: Anno Domini 2 27 January 2007

Pula, Croatia Win

Edgaras Pilvinis TKO (referee stoppage) Cage Gladiators 3 3 December 2006

Liverpool, England Win

Gary Savage TKO (punches) House of Pain 7 26 November 2006

Swansea, Wales Loss

Jim Wallhead TKO (elbows) House of Pain: Fight Night 5 9 April 2006

Swansea, Wales Win

Nigel Whitear KO House of Pain 3 24 July 2005

Swansea, Wales

Bare knuckle boxing record Win

Ryan Barrett KO (punch) BKFC 90

Birmingham, England Win

Fábio Maldonado KO (punch) BKFC 72 Dubai: Day 2

Dubai, United Arab Emirates