Mackem powerhouse Phil De Fries wins world heavyweight title again in record-breaking run
There’s just no stopping Mackem powerhouse Phil De Fries.
One of Sunderland’s most successful fighters ever has continued his incredible, and seemingly unstoppable, winning streak.
Phil De Fries stepped into the MMA spotlight once again at the weekend to take on Marcin Wójcik to defend his KSW World Heavyweight title - and, of course, won!
In an incredible sporting achievement, it was his 15th title win and 14th successful title defence, which once more cements his position in the MMA record books.
Phil is now back home in Thornhill and turns 40 today, April 21.
Speaking to the Echo, the champ said: “It went good, I got him down early in a choke in the last minute of the first round. It was a good submission and a bulldog choke, which is quite a rare move.
“I’m feeling great and going to have a few days off before it’s back at it in the gym.”
Phil fights out of TFT gym in Seaham, which has honed the skills of a host of successful fighters, and Phil’s next bout could be a real heavy hitter in the headlines.
He’s been called out by World’s Strongest Man, Eddie Hall.
Eddie is preparing to take on Tommy Fury in Manchester on June 13 for a battle billed as 'Beauty vs The Beast'.
And he’s also wanting to take Phil on after calling him out in a podcast.
Phil said he’s keen to make it happen, with talks ongoing with KSW for an open weight fight
“I’ll shake his hand and do a gentlemen’s agreement on no take downs - but he still won’t beat me at MMA,” said Phil.
“It would be a huge fight and a great new challenge for me,” he said. “He wants to do it, I want to do it, so let’s get it happening.”
One of the city’s most-successful fighters ever, Phil has had a record-breaking winning streak since signing to KSW in 2018, one of the world’s biggest MMA promoters.
KSW is Polish-based, making Phil a big hero in Poland, as well as with fight fans around the word.
The proud family man has two daughters, Willow, seven, and Violet, nine, and the whole family, including wife Karoline, were recently filmed by a Polish TV show that documents the lives of fighters’ wives.
“We did a three-day shoot and the crew came over from Poland to film us around Sunderland, down the seafront, in coffee shops,” he said. “They even went to the girls’ gymnastics classes, they loved it.”