Philip De Fries (born 21 April 1986) is a British mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division of Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki, where he is the current KSW Heavyweight Champion. A professional competitor since 2009, De Fries has formerly competed for the UFC, Bellator, and M-1 Global. Background Born in Sunderland, De Fries is of Dutch origin through his paternal grandfather. He began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu at the age of 14. He worked as a drugs counselor before and during his professional mixed martial arts career. Mixed martial arts career Early career Since the very beginning of his MMA career, De Fries has shown great submission skills, defeating the likes of Darren Towler and Stav Economou. He made his professional debut in 2009. Ultimate Fighting Championship After his win over Stav Economou, De Fries was scouted and signed a fight deal with the UFC. De Fries was expected to make his debut against Oli Thompson at UFC 138. However, on 17 October 2011, it was revealed that Thompson had to pull out of the bout due to injury and was replaced by Rob Broughton. De Fries won the fight via unanimous decision. In his second UFC fight, De Fries faced Stipe Miocic on 15 February 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV 1. He lost the fight via KO in the first round. De Fries faced former strongman Oli Thompson at UFC on Fox 4. He won the fight via submission in the second round. De Fries was expected to face Matt Mitrione on 29 December 2012 at UFC 155. However, Mitrione stepped up to fight Roy Nelson at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson Finale and was replaced by Todd Duffee. De Fries lost via first round TKO due to punches. Mitrione vs. De Fries eventually took place on 6 April 2013 at UFC on Fuel TV 9. He lost the bout via knockout 19 seconds into the first round. Following the loss De Fries was released from the promotion. Post-UFC Following his release from the UFC, De Fries returned to action on 31 December 2013 in Japan as he faced Strikeforce veteran Brett Rogers at Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2013. He won the fight via rear-naked choke in the first round. He then faced Judo specialist Satoshi Ishii on the IGF 1 card which took place on 5 April 2014. De Fries lost this fight via unanimous