Rob Font returns to form, boxes Kyler Phillips up in UFC Vegas 99 co-main event
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to us tonight, October 19, 2024, for UFC Vegas 99, going down live from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Headlining the event is a middleweight matchup between Anthony Hernandez (12-2) 1 NC and Michel Pereira (31-11) 2 NC.
Co-headlining the event was a bantamweight clash between Rob Font (21-8) and Kyler Phillips (12-3).
Following an impressive four-fight win streak showcasing victories over the likes of future, now former Bellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis (UD), former LFA bantamweight champion Ricky Simon (UD), former WSOF bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes (KO), and former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt (UD), Font came into this bout having gone 1-4 over his latest five appearances.
This began with a pair of defeats to former WEC and UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo (UD), as well as former UFC bantamweight title challenger Marlon Vera (UD). He followed those up with a win over Adrian Yanez (TKO), who was 5-0 in the UFC with four knockouts at the time, before losing his last two fights against Cory Sandhagen (UD) and former two-time UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo (UD).
Phillips on the other hand had gone 6-1 since making his UFC debut in 2020, defeating Gabriel Silva (UD), Cameron Else (TKO), and Song Yadong (UD) across his first three octagon bouts before losing to Raulian Paiva (MD) in his fourth.
Since then, however Phillips had won three-straight against Marcelo Rojo (triangle armbar), Raoni Barcelos (UD), and Pedro Munhoz (UD).
Continue reading to see how our UFC Vegas 99 co-main event of the evening went down:
Official Result: Rob Font def. Kyler Phillips via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Phillips secured an early single leg takedown and held top position for much of the opening round, reigning down punches and elbows from top position until Font eventually got back to his feet in the final minute. He started to land on Phillips with his boxing as the round came to a close.
Font picked up in the second where he left off at the end of the first, tagging Phillips up with good combinations. Phillips secured another double leg takedown, though Font got right back to his feet and spent the remaining four minutes of round two boxing Phillips up on the feet.
Font was again taken down at the start of the third, but again got right back to his feet and continued utilizing his superior hands and endurance. Phillips landed a solid calf kick in the third that Font certainly didn’t like, but aside from that he walked Phillips down and landed the cleaner, more effective strikes of the two throughout the second and third rounds.
Momentum wasn’t on Rob Font’s side going into this one like it was for Kyler Phillips, but after going down 10-9 on the cards he made the right adjustments and knocked back a highly touted contender tonight at UFC Vegas 99.
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