Another Fil-Am fighter tries luck in UFC in May

MANILA, Philippines - Another Filipino-American fighter is trying his luck in the dangerous world of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Philip Nover, a 25-year-old Brooklyn, New York native who gave up a nursing job to pursue a career in mixed martial arts, will get a chance to show his worth as he debuts in UFC 98 on May 24 (RP time) at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Nover, who had a strong performance in UFC affiliate The Ultimate Fighter 8 late last year, will face big puncher Kyle Bradley in a lightweight match to become the third Fil-Am competing in the event after Brandon “The Truth” Vera and Mark Muñoz.

Vera owns a 10-3-0 record while Muñoz has a 5-1-0 card after he lost in his UFC debut to Matt “The Hammer” Hamill a week ago.

Displaying superb standing skills matched with good submission and clinching techniques, Nover submitted Joe Duarte in two rounds and then Dave Kaplan and Geogre Roop in one round before dropping a heartbreaking decision to Efrain Escudero in the popular reality fight contest.

In the same event, Nover, who has a MMA record of 6-1-0 (win-loss-draw), got the name “The Filipino Assassin”, making his showdown with the Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based Bradley (13-6-1) an interesting bout.

“The UFC was just a dream a few months ago. It is like the NBA of MMA. I put the UFC as one of the top goals in my life. I dedicated all my heart, body, and spirit to it every day. I guess your dreams can come true when you work hard for them,” Nover told www.ufc.com.

“ With hard work and patience come great rewards,” he added.

Nover first ventured into martial arts when his parents enrolled him for self-defense after he figured in some fights during grade school.

He tried sparring matches – karate, kung-fu and even arnis, an indigenous Filipino martial arts using two wooden sticks – before he took up muay thai, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu where he is a certified black belter.

From there, Nover reached the finals of the tough Ring of Combat tournament where he bowed out because of an injury sustained in training.

And then he found his way to the TUF before the UFC doors opened for him.

“I loved the ring, loved the crowd. After I fought my first MMA match, I was truly in love, I made it my passion. I loved fighting and winning,” said Nover. “From that point on, I set goals in my life, which I strive everyday to achieve. The greatest was to fight in the UFC and here I am.”