Sunderland's heavyweight MMA champion Phil De Fries gearing up for KSW title defence
He doesn’t know what it’s like to lose his heavyweight belt and he has no intention of finding out - city fighter Phil De Fries is preparing to successfully defend his title once again.


The 38-year-old from Thornhill is the KSW World Heavyweight Champion and is one of the promoter’s most successful MMA fighters ever.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAnd the 6ft 4 Mackem powerhouse is preparing to beat his own record of the longest-reigning champion in his weight category, defending the title for an 11th time, which, if successful, would also make him the longest-reigning KSW title holder in all divisions.
He flies to Poland next week to take on Brazilian heavyweight Augusto Sakai as part of the KSW 95 card on June 7.
Sakai, 33, is a strong contender, having previously fought in the UFC.


But the bout doesn’t phase Phil.
“Sakai is a great fighter and was at one point in the top 10 in the world before he had a couple of bad losses. He’s probably the best contender I’ve fought against in a long time,” said Phil, who is dad to Willow and Violet.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“A lot of people think I can’t beat guys like these, but I’m going in there to show them I can. I train with some of the best guys in the world, so I’m not worried.”
Phil fights out of TFT gym in Seaham under coach Andrew Fisher alongside fellow Sunderland heavyweight Mick Parkin who fights in the UFC, as well as sparring sessions with UFC fighter Tom Aspinall in Manchester.


The hard gym work for fight training is now done, before a couple of days of tactical and visualisation work ahead of his flight to Poland, where Phil has a huge fan base.
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.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdBut it was joining TFT gym and signing to KSW when he was 30 that’s led to his greatest success in the sport and helped him to overcome mental health struggles.
He said: “Now, I’m on top of the world. I’ve got cash, a beautiful family, I’ve got respect and I’m happy. I’m happy in myself and KSW has done that.
“I’m this close to becoming the longest-running KSW champion of all time. It will mean the world to my family and making those girls proud is the biggest motivation for me.”
You can watch Phil’s fight on June 7 on live stream via https://www.kswmma.com/
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.