Phillipe Nover

Phillipe J. Nover (born February 3, 1984) is an American retired mixed martial artist. He is best known for making it to the finals of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir. He is a former Ring of Combat lightweight champion.

Early life and career Nover was born and raised in Brooklyn. He trained with Sifu Ralph Mitchell at Universal Defense Systems which covers Kali, Yaw-Yan, Muay Thai, Savate, Boxing, Judo, Kung Fu, Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Jeet Kune Do. He began training in martial arts at age ten and attended The Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences.

He attended Kingsborough Community College and works in a Brooklyn hospital as a registered nurse. Phillipe completed his bachelor's degree at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. Nover holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Alexander "Soca" Freitas.

The Ultimate Fighter

Nover normally fought as a welterweight but since The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir only had an opening for lightweights and light-heavyweights he had to cut weight to be able to participate. Dana White called him "Fainting Phillipe" because he had fainted when White was announcing the coaches. In the preliminary round, Nover defeated Joe Duarte with a rear naked choke in the second round. In episode 8, Nover defeated Dave Kaplan, again via rear naked choke then proclaimed himself as the toughest registered nurse on the planet. In the same episode Dana White mentioned that Nover reminds him of a young Georges St-Pierre. Nover defeated George Roop in the semi-finals via a kimura lock but ultimately lost in the Ultimate Fighter Finale on December 13, 2008, to Efraín Escudero via unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Phillipe Nover fought Kyle Bradley at UFC 98, losing via a controversial TKO at 1:03 of the first round. After taking down Nover, Bradley landed some heavy punches on his prone opponent. Nover was pulling guard ready to defend, however Referee Yves Lavigne stopped the fight. Lavigne was booed by the crowd for the remainder of the event.

Phillipe Nover was set to fight Sam Stout at UFC Fight Night 19, replacing the injured Kyle Bradley. On September 16, 2009, the day of the fight, Nover had fainted. As a result, the match with Stout was cancelled.

Nover then faced a fellow Ultimate Fighter alumni Rob Emerson at UFC 109 on February 6, 2010. Nover lost a controversial unanimous decision. Sherdog.com scored the bout 29–28 in favor of Nover. With a UFC record of 0–3, he was released from the promotion.

Post-UFC After being released from the UFC, Nover continued to train MMA in New York and teach at a local mixed martial arts school. Nover took a year off from competing to focus on his coaching and nursing careers. He had a few Muay Thai matches before returning to compete in MMA. He returned to the cage after an 18-month layoff to meet Jake Murphy, a Greg Jackson-trained fighter, at Hoosier Fight Club 8 on August 20, 2011. He replaced the last man to defeat him, Murphy's original opponent, Rob Emerson, who had to pull out of the fight due to injury. Nover won the fight by unanimous decision, 29–28 on all three judges' scorecards.

Bellator Fighting Championships A few weeks after his win over Murphy, Nover was signed to fight in Bellator Fighting Championships. His debut came at Bellator 59 against Polish submission ace, Marcin Held. Nover lost the fight via a controversial split decision. During the bout, Nover was able to dominate on the stand-up and maintain top position on the ground as well as display strong submission defense. However, two of the three judges scored for Held's multiple submission attempts. Sherdog.com scored the bout 29–28 in favor of Nover.

Nover faced Derrick Kennington on September 28, 2012, at Bellator 74. He won the fight via submission in the second round. In his third fight for the promotion, Nover faced Darrell Horcher at Bellator 95 on April 4, 2013. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Return to UFC After five years away from the organization, Nover made his return to the UFC when he faced Yui Chul Nam in a featherweight bout on May 16, 2015, at UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Faber. He won the fight via split decision.

Nover next faced Zubaira Tukhugov on December 10, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 80. He lost the fight via split decision.

Nover faced Renan Barão on September 24, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 95. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Nover faced Ricky Glenn on February 11, 2017, at UFC 208. He lost the back-and-forth fight via split decision.

On February 15, 2017, Nover announced his retirement from mixed martial arts.

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Before his fight with Efraín Escudero, Phillipe was awarded a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by Alexandre "Soca" Freitas on Dec. 6, 2008. The ceremony took place at the Soca Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy in New York. Phillipe has been studying BJJ since he was 17 years old. Nover faced his Ultimate Fighter Season 8 finale opponent Escudero in a submission-only match on November 9, 2013, at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo; they fought to a draw. In his next match-up, a wrestling match at Grapple at the Garden on December 1, 2013, he was defeated by former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.

Nover announced that he became a third degree black belt in January 2020.

Instructor lineage Mitsuyo "Count Koma" Maeda → Carlos Gracie Sr. → Helio Gracie → Carlos Gracie Jr. → Alexandre Freitas → Phillipe Nover

Retirement Nover is a cardiac nurse in Brooklyn.

Championships and Accomplishments Ring of Combat ROC Lightweight Championship (One time, Vacated)

Mixed martial arts record Loss

Ricky Glenn Decision (split) UFC 208

Brooklyn, New York, United States Loss

Renan Barão Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Cyborg vs. Länsberg

Brasília, Brazil Loss

Zubaira Tukhugov Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. VanZant

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Yui Chul Nam Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Faber

Pasay, Philippines Win

Dan Cion Submission (rear-naked choke) Ring of Combat 50

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Mike Santiago Decision (unanimous) Ring of Combat 45

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Darrell Horcher Decision (unanimous) Bellator 95

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Loss

Anthony Rocco Martin Decision (majority) Dakota FC 14

Fargo, North Dakota, United States Win

Derrick Kennington Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 74

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Loss

Marcin Held Decision (split) Bellator 59

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Jake Murphy Decision (unanimous) Hoosier Fight Club 8

Valparaiso, Indiana, United States Loss

Rob Emerson Decision (unanimous) UFC 109

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Kyle Bradley TKO (punches) UFC 98

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Efraín Escudero Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir Finale

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Jay Coleman Submission (kimura) Ring of Combat 13

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Abner Lloveras Decision (majority) Ring of Combat 12

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Dave Drago Submission (rear-naked choke) Ring of Combat 11

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Michael McQuade KO (punches) Ring of Combat 9

Asbury Park, New Jersey, United States Draw

Jason Dublin Draw CZ 7: Gravel Pit

Revere, Massachusetts, United States Win

Ron Stallings Submission (guillotine choke) RF 4: Reality Fighting 4

Bayonne, New Jersey, United States Exhibition record Win

George Roop Submission (kimura) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir Episode-12

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Dave Kaplan Submission (rear-naked choke) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir Episode-8

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Joe Duarte Submission (rear-naked choke) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir Episode-1

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States