Phil De Fries: The silent reign of MMA's most dominant heavyweight champion ever
KSW champion Phil De Fries lives in Sunderland, a city in the northeast of England, which was once the most famed shipbuilding town in the world.
Like the vessels that once launched from his hometown's docks, De Fries is built to weather storms — and he's sailed through heavyweight waters longer than most are aware of.
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At one stage of his life he was a social worker, but unbeknownst to most of his colleagues he was enduring significant mental struggles of his own. In the midst of his psychological peril as a 20-something young man, he debuted in the UFC. Five fights and 15 months later he was a free agent again.
It was after a loss to Satoshi Ishii in Japan that De Fries sought expert advice. Although the defeat forced him back to the regional scene, it allowed him to find his feet again and rid himself of the anxiety that had so heavily hamstrung his career.
Then the big leagues came calling again. A victory on the premier Russian promotion of the time, M-1 Global, began his current 14-fight winning streak. A quick dispatch of Pride powerhouse James Thompson in Bellator established De Fries as the best of the British before KSW declared interest.
Phil De Fries aims for an astounding 12th heavyweight title defense Saturday at KSW 107. (Photo by Foto Olimpik/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(NurPhoto via Getty Images)
His assignment for his debut was Michał Andryszak, a Polish giant who was considered one of the hottest prospects in Europe.
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'At the time, a lot of people were telling me that KSW want a Polish champion,' De Fries recalls. 'This is a promotion that's bigger than the UFC in Poland, so that was in the back of my head before I made my debut.'
The bout didn't even last four minutes. Seven years and 11 title defenses later, De Fries is the longest-reigning champion in the history of the European promotion and arguably the most dominant heavyweight champion the sport has ever seen.
His tally for heavyweight title defenses with KSW outnumbers the combined total of Fedor Emelianenko's reign in Pride, Stipe Miocic's title wins in the UFC and Ryan Bader's championship victories in Bellator.
Champions can often look for favorable circumstances when it comes to competition. But on Saturday, De Fries welcomes a new challenge in the shape of undefeated prospect Arkadiusz Wrzosek, a towering Pole who will enjoy home advantage for the clash at KSW 107 in Gdansk, Poland.
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De Fries has effectively lapped the competition on several occasions, outlasting generations of contenders during his heavyweight title reign. Despite his dominance, he's always been a humble and unassuming champion, which makes it all the more surprising when he describes what keeps him motivated at the age of 39.
'Honestly, it probably comes down to ego,' De Fries says.
'I don't even like losing rounds in the gym. In fact, I hate it. That kind of sucks because I'm training a lot with Mick [Parkin] and Tom [Aspinall], and I think Tom is the best heavyweight in the world at the moment, and Mick is improving every day. I can honestly say that every round I've ever lost has left a scar on my heart. With these young guys that I've been fighting lately, it hurts even more. I feel like I've got something to prove. And honestly, losing to this guy would kill me.'
While De Fries held the status of the best U.K. heavyweight for a number of years, Aspinall's ascent in the UFC has sent the Wigan man's stock soaring. And even though De Fries is one of the top earners in the sport, especially outside of the UFC, he admits he envies the career trajectory of his teammate.
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'If I could swap careers with Tom Aspinall I probably would,' De Fries says. 'He'll be a multimillionaire. He'll be set for life, and he's a nice guy, too. He's worked for all that and he deserves that. At the same time, as much as I would love all the money he'll make, I would hate to be properly famous. He can't go anywhere! He's this really humble, normal guy, so I bet he really misses just going down to the park and not being harassed for selfies.'
Unlike Aspinall, De Fries is afforded the luxury of a double life.
In Poland, he's mobbed by fans — 'feeding my ego' as he calls it.
Back home, he's just Phil. Those within the hardcore fanbase sometimes stop him, but other than that, he's free to enjoy anonymity.
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He loves a pint. He enjoys the outdoors, package holidays and an occasional McDonald's visit. He can catch pigeons with his bare hands and enjoys the mental release of table-top miniatures provided by the medieval-themed game Warhammer.
De Fries is happiest when he's spending time with his daughters. He wrote a children's book in an effort to teach them how to be kind. (Both could also catch pigeons with their bare hands before their 5th birthdays.)
His seven-year stint with KSW has completely changed his life. When he signed with the promotion, he was still working security shifts at night while trying to match the training output of his full-time adversaries during the day.
He is an undeniable success story, but he's not finished yet.
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'I try not to smell the roses,' he explains. 'I don't want to start patting myself on the back, so I set new goals. My heart is set on being a 10-year champion. It's seven years and four months now. I'd love to make it to 10 years, mark it with a retirement fight and then just get out of there with loads of money.
'KSW gave me a Rolex for making it five years as champ,' he adds. 'Imagine what they'll give me for 10 — a mega-Rolex? I can't wait!'
Sunderland may no longer launch ships, but it's still home to one of the toughest vessels ever built.
When the belt is defended once more, De Fries will make the long trip back to Sunderland — to the only place where he's not primarily a champion, but a dad with pigeon-catching daughters and some Warhammer to paint.
And what will he busy himself with when it's all said and done?
'I'll do nothing, I get so tired these days … I'll probably just eat McDonald's and get fat.'
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