Athletes
Kyler Phillips | Unfolding The Matrix
Looking For A Bounce-Back Performance, Kyler Phillips Is Excited To Put His Best Foot Forward At UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Malott
When Kyler Phillips first made it on the UFC roster, it was a signing that had a lot of goodwill around it. After winning but not earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017, he competed on The Ultimate Fighter but lost a majority decision to Brad Katona. Nearly two more years would pass before he made it to the roster properly, and he opened his UFC account with three wins and two finishes. Six fights later, Phillips is a regular in and around the bantamweight rankings, although he is coming off back-to-back losses.
As he heads into his co-main event assignment against Charles Jourdain at UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Malott, the now-30-year-old is reflective but enthusiastic about his career at present.
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“It's cool to have those experiences and then also be like, ‘Damn, I'm still young,’” Phillips told UFC.com. “I still feel young. I know (Jourdain) still feels in his prime, so just being able to be at that point in my career (and) at that point in his career where we got a co-main event here in Winnipeg, it’s going to be a dope fight.”
Kyler Phillips Fight Week Interview | UFC Winnipeg
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Kyler Phillips Fight Week Interview | UFC Winnipeg
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Alongside his teammates Mario Bautista and Marcus McGhee, among other talented athletes at the MMA Lab in Arizona, Phillips is focused on making incremental gains now that his skill set has rounded out nicely.
Following the wisdom of coach John Crouch and former lightweight champion Benson Henderson, Phillips is always focused on fine-tuning himself into the best fighter possible.
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“When you're younger, the growth is (in) bigger spurts,” he said. “When you get older, it's like you're trying to get those little centimeters that you can improve that day. I get better at just this one particular thing, whether that could be any part of your game, whether it's grappling, whether it's physical conditioning, mentally, staying calm, your jab, anything like that.”
If there was a theme to this camp, Phillips described it as “an unfolding.” In a sense, he spent each training session peeling back the layers of himself as a fighter and seeing where he could make small gains that make all the difference when fighting the best in the world.
When he makes the walk in Winnipeg, Phillips will compete in his 10th UFC fight, which UFC.com’s late editor Tom Gerbasi defined as the threshold to becoming a true veteran in the organization. Phillips is doing so right as he enters the hypothetical best years of his fighting career, which is well-timed, particularly as he seeks a foothold in the always-competitive bantamweight division.
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“I'm like, ‘Dude, f*** yeah. This is me,’” he said. “I see that man in the mirror. I see the shadow. I see both parts of myself. I'm like, ‘Dude, I f***ing want to be here. This is where I am,’ and I'm f***ing taking this s*** to the next level.”
He’ll need every bit of his best self against Jourdain, who has enjoyed a breath of life since moving up to the bantamweight division. “Air” scored back-to-back guillotine submission wins over Victor Henry and Davey Grant, earning Performance Bonuses each time out, and the Canadian is keen on keeping that streak alive in his home country.
On the other side, though, Phillips has a small edge over him. He is very much still his eccentric self — at the time of the interview, Phillips is dressed in an all-black getup akin to Keanu Reaves’ Neo from The Matrix — but there’s an urgency to his energy as well. If that translates to a dominant win or a feisty, bounce-back performance against another well-rounded and entertaining fighter, those tuned in to the matchup are in for a surefire treat.
“At the end of the day, it's like, I'm not going to play my game; he's not going to play his game,” he said. “No, we're fighting each other. I'm going to maul this dude. That's what it really is.”
UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Malott took place live from Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Canada on April 18, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!