Top UK heavyweight Phil DeFries cemented his number-one spot with a victory over Rob Broughton in his UFC debut in Birmingham.

Maintaining his undefeated status, he was forced to grind out the victory over a very tough and durable opponent. Whilst the North East fighter would have liked a finish, overcoming the 'Octagon jitters' and getting a successful outing in his first UFC bout was the most important thing.

Now he's set to meet a fellow unbeaten fighter in Stipe Miocic, with the Ohio-based fighter also scoring a decision victory over Joey Beltran in his first Zuffa fight.

The fight features on this week's UFC ON Fuel 1 card, at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska.

We caught up with Defries to get his thoughts on the matchup.

 

YourMMA.tv: You've risen to number one in the UK incredibly quickly, how do you think your career has gone so far?

Phil Defries: It's gone extremely well. I've had a fantastic run of wins and more recently at a very high level. I'm working with the best coaches and sparring partners I've ever had and I'm always looking to progress myself further.

YourMMA.tv: What is it like to be a UFC fighter, most mixed martial artists' dream?

PD: It’s a dream come true, it really is, but getting there and staying there are two completely different things. Hopefully this is just the start of a very long career.

YourMMA.tv: UFC pay is a hot topic right now. What do you make of your pay so far? How does it compare to pay outside of the UFC?

PD: I don’t see anything wrong with it. If you combine all my other purses together and times them by 5 it still wouldn’t be as much as I made in my debut. It's not rock star wages though, but bear in mind that none of us are rockstars!

YourMMA.tv: You're a submission specialist, Miocic is a great striker. Does this feel like a real style clash?

PD: I suppose so with both sides knowing exactly where they want the fight. Stipe was also a nationally ranked division 1 wrestler aswell though, so I'm willing to engage the fight wherever it ends up.

YourMMA.tv: Will you be comfortable standing with him, or should we expect you to take this to the floor?

PD: I'll be happy standing with him and have drafted a lot of sparring partners in to emulate his style. My striking has improved significantly in the last 6 months aswell, and I have no qualms with standing toe to toe with him.

YourMMA.tv: You've both got many years left in MMA and look to be big prospects for the future. Why do you think the UFC have put you together?

PD: It's just one of those fights that makes sense I think. We both won our debuts at around the same time, we're both unbeaten and I think it will make for an interesting fight with the clash of styles you mentioned earlier.

YourMMA.tv: How did the fight come about, did either of you ask for it, or did the UFC offer it? Was this the only name they offered?

PD: It was announced around New Year's eve and it was the only name I was offered. I think they were quite keen to get the match confirmed so I just signed the papers. I'm a 'yes man' at heart I think [laughs]. I'm not in the business of calling people out really, you would look like a bit of a burk if you got beat.

YourMMA.tv: There's no blue-print to beating either of you. Does that make your jobs tougher to formulate a gameplan?

PD: Yeah, the game plan took some fine tuning but I think my team have developed a good one that I think will work but well see on the 15th of February!

I'd just like to thank my sponsors Bad Boy and Smart Tec Nutrition for all their help, aswell as all of my sparring partners and coaches who have helped out during this camp.

 

UFC ON Fuel takes place this Wednesday. Stay tuned to @YourMMA on Twitter and Facebook for more coverage.
 

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