Aaron Ern-Wuei Phillips (born August 5, 1989) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who competes in the

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens. Bra ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

Background

His mom came over from

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Ma ...

, Malaysia to the US for university and met his father. She was a school teacher, so every summer he would go back to Malaysia from the age of four to eleven.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Phillips started fighting MMA professionally in 2011, mainly for regional Louisiana organizations, compiling a 7–0 record, before signing with the UFC in 2014.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Philips made his UFC debut as an injury replacement for

Doo Ho Choi Choi Doo-ho ( ko, 최두호; born April 10, 1991, often anglicized to Doo Ho Choi or Dooho Choi), is a South Korean mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship in their Featherweight division. Background Ch ...

against

Sam Sicilia Samuel Travis Sicilia (born February 1, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the featherweight division for Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2007, Sicilia formerly competed for the UFC, an ...

on May 24, 2014 at

UFC 173 ''UFC 173: Barão vs. Dillashaw'' was a mixed martial arts event held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 24, 2014. Background A Middleweight Championship bout between then champion Chris Weidman and number one contender Vi ...

. However, Choi pulled out of the bout citing an injury. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Aaron Phillips faced Matt Hobar at UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. dos Anjos on August 23, 2014. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. After his second loss in a row, Phillips was released from the UFC.

World Fighting Championships and Other Organizations

After his release from the UFC, Phillips faced future UFC fighter

Chris Gutiérrez Christopher Gutiérrez (born April 22, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist and currently competing in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of December 6, 2022, he is #12 in the UFC bantamweight rankings. ...

for the vacant WFC Bantamweight Championship. Due to the bay doors not being able to be closed, the fight took place in 30 °F cold. Due to an injury picked up during the fight, he was unable to continue, therefore losing the fight. After this fight, due to injuries, he did not fight for 3 years before coming back in 2018 and picking up 4 straight wins in the World Fighting Championships organization. With a one off fight in VFL which he won by TKO, he was signed once again to the UFC.

Second stint in the UFC

With Anderson dos Santos testing positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

before his fight with

Jack Shore Jack Shore (born 6 February 1995) is a Welsh professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2016, he is the former Bantamweight c ...

at bantamweight, Phillips was chosen as his replacement for the July 16, 2020 fight at UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige He lost the fight in the second round via rear-naked choke. Philips was scheduled to face

Adrian Yanez Adrian Yanez (born November 29, 1993) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of December 6, 2022, he is #13 in the UFC bantamweight rankings. Background His father ...

on October 31, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 181. However on October 20, Phillips pulled out due to an undisclosed injury. Phillips was scheduled to face Cameron Else on July 17, 2021 at

UFC on ESPN 26 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. However in mid-July, Else pulled out to undisclosed reasons. Aaron was expected to face

Trevin Jones Trevin Anthony Jones (born August 4, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist living on the US Territory of Guam, who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Jones started his MMA career when he ...

on July 24, 2021 at UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw. On July 18, Phillips pulled out off the bout. Phillips was scheduled to face Kris Moutinho on October 23, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 196. However, Moutinho was removed from the event for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by

Jonathan Martinez Jonathan Martinez (born April 20, 1994) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Martinez currently competes in the bantamweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Martinez was born and grew up in Cali ...

. In turn, Philips withdrew from the bout due to illness.

Endorsements

On September 30, 2020 Aaron Phillips and BREMS Energy Solutions entered into an Exclusive Endorsement Deal ahead of his UFC Fight Night bout in Las Vegas on Oct. 31. The deal further secures a longstanding relationship with the two brands
BREMS

Headkicks Mixed Martial Arts & Fitness Club

Mixed martial arts record

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Charenton, Louisiana Charenton (historically french: Lieu-des-Chetimachas) is a census-designated place (CDP) in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,903 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area. A ...

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Matt Hobar Matthew Hobar (born January 7, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the UFC's bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, Hobar also formerly competed for Legacy Fighting Championship and Shark Fights. He is ...

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Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

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Newkirk, Oklahoma Newkirk is a city and county seat of Kay County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,172 at the 2020 census. History Newkirk is on land known as the Cherokee Outlet (popularly called the "Cherokee Strip"), which belonged to the Cher ...

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Lafayette, Louisiana Lafayette (, ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the most populous city and parish seat of Lafayette Parish, located along the Vermilion River. It is Louisiana's fourth largest incorporated municipality by population and the 234 ...

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Youngsville, Louisiana Youngsville is a city in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, and is part of the Lafayette metropolitan statistical area. The population was 8,105 at the 2010 U.S. census, and 15,929 at the 2020 United States census. Youngsville was the bir ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Philips, Aaron 1989 births Living people American people of Malaysian descent American male mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American male taekwondo practitioners