Sunderland MMA fighter Phil De Fries on preparing to defend his world heavyweight title

The 35-year-old’s MMA career has soared in recent years, winning eight bouts in a row and successfully defending his KSW belt five times.

Now he’s back in training to defend it for a sixth time when he takes on No 1 contender Darko Stosic on February 26.

Signed to Polish promoter KSW, Phil is one of their most popular and successful fighters, holding the record for the world heavyweight belt.

The next title defence fight will take place in Warsaw, Poland as the main event on the KSW 67 fight card, and Phil says he’s feeling confident of another win.

"He’s a good contender, but my cardio is better and I’m much bigger, as he’s a small heavyweight,” said the dad-of-two from Thornhill.

He added: "I hate to lose, but it’s always good to have a good contender as it means I invest more in the training camps. If your contender isn’t good, you just get sloppy.”

Phil fights out of TFT MMA in Seaham, which is home to a number of professional fighters, with Andrew Fisher and Michael Parkin flying to Poland with him as his cornermen.

Due to Covid, Phil’s recent fights have always taken place in Poland where the promoter is based, but he says he’d love to defend a title on home turf.

He said: “They were going to do a fight in Birmingham but because of Covid and the logistics of it they’ve all had to take place in Poland. It would be great to have a fight at home, especially somewhere like Newcastle Arena. I get a lot of support from Sunderland so it would be great to fight in front of a home crowd.”

Phil first got into martial arts when he was 14 and began doing BJJ before moving on to MMA when he was 20. He fought for the biggest fight promoter in the world, UFC, in his 20s.

But it was joining TFT gym and signing to KSW when he was 30 that’s led to his greatest success in the sport.

UK & Ireland fans can watch KSW 67 live on www.KSWTV.com and the KSW App on February 26.

Support your Echo and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news, the latest on SAFC and new puzzles every day. With a digital subscription, you can see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe