UFC Winnipeg co-main event bantamweight Kyler “The Matrix” Phillips was nothing if not confident this week, ahead of his fight with Charles Jourdain.
“I’m gonna f*ck this dude up,” said Phillips (12-4) during this week’s media day. “He’s a good opponent, but I know his antics, he likes to talk and say things, but I’m going to beat his ass.”
While Phillips is confident, he seems to find the match-up as tantalizing as the rest of the fight world. Jourdain is 2-0 since arriving at bantamweight with two victories by guillotine and two Performance of the Night bonuses. Phillips himself, well, he’s known as “The Matrix” for a reason, recent struggles not withstanding.
“It’s a sick-ass match-up if you think of it. Dude, this guy, the way he fights is pretty exciting. The way I fight— like, I ain’t trying to convince myself saying things like that. But dude, this is a cool one.”
Phillips went on to add that “the way this guy has come up in the UFC from a young age and the way I’ve come up from a young age, and we’re now in our prime. To see that and to see his recent success, and he’s come down from 45 and where I’m at— you’re just going to see my skyrocket.”
Jourdain has said he sees the fight against Phillips as a chance to break into the top 15. Phillips has been there before, but isn’t worried about rankings at the moment.
“Numbers are like statistics, it’s just numbers. At the end of the day the cage shuts and I’m going to go in there to fight another dude. So I’m not really too worried about numbers or this and that. I’m just as much wanting to take him out as he’s wanting to get that number or whatever he’s looking for.”
Watch the full UFC Winnipeg media day appearance by Kyler Phillips above.
