Athletes
Phil Rowe | Tired of Fighting Himself
Welterweight Addresses Personal Frustrations With His Efforts Ahead Of Return To Action
Phil Rowe sat at the table stationed in the media room at State Farm Arena in Atlanta fresh off a come-from-behind, third-round stoppage win over Ange Loosa looking anxious. When he began to answer the first question asked of him, the words didn’t immediately come out, so he started tapping the fingers on his left hand against the table and took a couple deep breaths.
Once he found the words — but still occasionally strumming the table with his long fingers — he began by explaining that he and his family have been going through some things, his mother having been diagnosed with and fighting a battle against cancer. As he shifted to speaking about the fight, where he seemingly couldn’t get out of first gear until he shifted and put Loosa away, the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate acknowledged that those first two rounds are emblematic of a battle he’s been fighting with himself throughout his career.
“It’s hard, man; that’s always the battle,” Rowe began when asked about the moment and his admission that he’s often stuck in his own head, limiting himself when he’s inside the Octagon on Wednesday, a few days ahead of his return to action against Seokhyeon Ko at the UFC APEX.
“I just try to be steadfast. I just try to keep Christ at my core. I try to be as accessible for Him as he needs me to be. I’m not perfect — I fall short every day — but I just try to think of Him whenever I’m thinking of something bad. We’ve got 10,000 thoughts in our head a day, and a lot of those thoughts are negative thoughts and doubt, but if you can think about the good — I think Paul was saying, ‘When you think about Christ, you think about things that are good, that are noble, that are pure, that are just, that are true,’ and it keeps me grounded, but it’s a constant battle, man.
“I’m just trying to be better than I was yesterday, trying to be present, and trying to maximize my time with the gifts God gave me.”
Each time the 35-year-old “Fresh Prince” steps into the Octagon, he does so brandishing ample gifts, which is part of what makes his frequently challenging performances even more frustrating for Rowe, his coaches, and those on the outside that recognize his considerable skills and abilities.
Fighters on the Rise | UFC Fight Night: Garcia vs Onama
The Brooklyn-born welterweight stands 6-foot-3 and has an 80-inch reach, the same measurements Neil Magny has used to great success while piling up the most victories in the history of the division. He’s a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt, technical sharp and packing power in both hands, and defensively sound in all phases.
On paper and in his best moments, he looks the part of a perennial contender, but seldom have all those things transferred over into his performance.
The win over Loosa in June moved him to one fight above .500 inside the Octagon through seven starts with each of his four victories coming inside the distance and all three of his losses (including one to Magny) coming on the scorecards. The inconsistency resulted in everyone being a little underwhelmed with how things have gone thus far, nobody more so than Rowe himself.
Phil Rowe Gets TKO Win Over Ange Loosa | UFC Atlanta
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Phil Rowe Gets TKO Win Over Ange Loosa | UFC Atlanta
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“When I’m out there, it’s like you’re seeing Goku not in Super Saiyan form, and (that’s why my coaches) are like, ‘C’mon man!’” he said with a smile, referencing the Dragon Ball protagonist, who can transform into an elevated state of strength and power. “(My coaches) know what I can do and that’s a part of it.
“Everybody has their thing,” continued Rowe. “If Alex Pereira had jiu jitsu, an atom would probably split — it wouldn’t make sense; it’d be too much. He would have all the stones like Thanos, so there has to be something, and for me it’s that — it’s me over-thinking things. I’m not too scared or too nervous; it’s just big moments.”
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There may not be anything more relatable than someone acknowledging that, at times, they freeze in big moments. Despite all their training, expertise, and experience, there are instances where they just are not able to execute like they have during practice sessions and at times in the past.
And make no mistake about it: Rowe has executed.
He reached the UFC with a 7-2 record having rattled off seven consecutive victories after dropping his first two professional fights, and he still maintains a 100-percent finishing rate with all 11 of his victories coming inside the distance. He looked razor-sharp dispatching Orion Cosce and Jason Witt in back-to-back outings, following those efforts up with a third-round stoppage win over Niko Price that had people wondering if the Fusion Xcel representative was on the cusp of breaking into the welterweight rankings.
But then, he stumbled. Consecutive losses to Magny and Jake Matthews froze his momentum and forced him to reset. It looked like a third straight setback was all but assured after the first 10 minutes of his fight with Loosa this summer only for Rowe to go Super Saiyan and claim the last-minute finish.
“Usually fights play out and they end well, so all it is is me being more present, and me understanding my time is limited, so I’ve gotta maximize it,” he said, his tone a mix of longstanding frustration and resignation. “I’m trying to do the best I can, man. I’ve been in camps with the best guys in the world — fly me, pay me to be there for a reason. I can fight — I know I can fight; I just gotta do it.
“I should be deleting these cats immediately,” continued Rowe. “None of these guys, top to bottom, are as skillful as me. I know it. I’ve been in rooms with the best guys. The best grapplers in the world, the best strikers, the best boxers. Show me a fighter that has grappled the best guys, that’s boxed the best guys, that’s kickboxed the best guys. You can’t! You can’t show me a welterweight that’s grappled Gordon Ryan, Craig Jones, Nicky Rod; that has Olympic medalists around him — you can’t!
“I’ve seen every facet of the fight game — I just gotta go do it, that’s all.”
Phil Rowe Finishes Jason Witt | UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Strickland
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Phil Rowe Finishes Jason Witt | UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Strickland
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He shrugs and exhales as the last words hit the air, almost as if he’s exhausted of having the conversation. He’s clearly been having this same conversation, reaching these same conclusions, telling himself the same things repeatedly for quite some time, and the fact that he’s still doing it before another fight is tiresome.
If the confidence in his talents and boastfulness regarding what he’s capable of doing makes him seem a little bit too sure of himself, maybe bordering on delusional, the recognition that he’s failed to show that with any kind of consistency sweeps it all away and makes him infinitely human.
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And so Saturday night, Rowe gets another opportunity to be the fighter he knows he’s capable of being — that everyone around him and everyone that can recognize his ample skills believes he’s capable of being — and as always, he’s hopeful that he’ll be able to organize the thoughts in his head, set them aside, and be the best version of himself from the outset.
“(I’ve just have to) do what I normally do,” he said. “I’m not over-analyzing anything. My skill set is enough. I’m gonna be in front of him, (and) I’m not going nowhere. I don’t give a damn what he’s gonna do — I’m just better. I’m gonna feint, see his shots, I’m gonna catch, I’m gonna slam my right hand in his jaw, and that’s gonna be it.
“I’ve got a 100-percent finishing rate,” Rowe added, smiling. “Statistically, he has a chance to get hit by me, and it’s not good. If you get hit by my right hand, at some point, I usually put you out. I have a 100-percent finishing rate as an amateur, 100-percent finishing rate as a pro — if I hit him with my right hand, I know what’s gonna happen and I just gotta do that.”
If he does, expect to see more emotions, because there are few things better in life than proving to yourself that you’re capable of greatness.
Now he’s just gotta go out and do it.
UFC Fight Night: Garcia vs Onama took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas on November 1, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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