Costas Philippou

Costas Philippou
Born Constantinos Philippou
(1979-11-29) November 29, 1979
Limassol, Cyprus
Other names Costas, Costappou
Residence New York City, New York, United States
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
Division Middleweight
Light Heavyweight
Reach 73.0 in (185 cm)[1]
Style Boxing
Stance Orthodox
Fighting out of Long Island, New York, United States
Team Bellmore Kickboxing MMA
Rank Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[2]
Years active 2008–2015
Mixed martial arts record
Total 19
Wins 13
By knockout 7
By submission 1
By decision 5
Losses 5
By knockout 1
By decision 4
No contests 1
Other information
Boxing record from BoxRec
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Constantinos "Costas" Philippou (born November 29, 1979) is a retired Greek Cypriot mixed martial artist, formerly fighting for the UFC in the Middleweight division. As of September 19, 2014, he is #12 in official UFC middleweight rankings.[3]

Background

Philippou began boxing in 1994 and had his first fight six months later. A few years later, his best friend and coach encouraged him to move to the United States to become a professional. Costas fought in the Golden Gloves two months after coming to the United States, but lost in the finals at Madison Square Garden by a split decision to Nagy Aguilera. Philippou then turned pro and had three fights, the third being featured on ESPN. Costas transitioned to MMA after disputes with his manager and coach.

MMA career

Philippou made his professional MMA debut in May 2008 for the Ring of Combat promotion, losing to fellow future UFC fighter Ricardo Romero by split decision. However, he subsequently amassed a record of 7 wins, 1 loss and 1 no contest within that promotion. Philippou had previously trained with the Serra-Longo fight team, but as of May 30, 2013 he decided to switch camps to Bellmore Kickboxing Academy. According to Matt Serra, Philippou left the team on good terms.[4]

The Ultimate Fighter 11

Philippou first made his appearance in the UFC on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz. However, he never made it as part of the cast to move into the house after losing to Joseph Henle via submission in the opening elimination bout.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Philippou got a second chance in the UFC after stepping in as a late replacement for Dan Miller, who was moved up the card to face Nate Marquardt, facing Nick Catone at UFC 128 in a catchweight bout of 195 pounds.[5] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Philippou was expected to face BJJ black belt Rafael Natal on August 6, 2011 at UFC 133, replacing an injured Riki Fukuda.[6] However, an injury forced Alessio Sakara out of his main card bout against Jorge Rivera, and Philippou was pulled from his bout with Natal and named as Sakara's replacement against Rivera.[7] Philippou won the fight via split decision, earning his first UFC victory.

Philippou faced off against Jared Hamman on December 10, 2011 at UFC 140.[8] He won the match via KO at 3:11 in the first round.

Philippou fought TUF 11 winner Court McGee on March 3, 2012 at UFC on FX 2.[9] He won the fight via unanimous decision after a back and forth bout.

Philippou next defeated Riki Fukuda via unanimous decision on July 7, 2012 at UFC 148.[10]

Philippou was expected to face Nick Ring on November 17, 2012 at UFC 154[11] however, the fight was cancelled on the day of the event as Ring fell ill.[12]

Philippou replaced his injured training partner Chris Weidman against Tim Boetsch at UFC 155 on December 29, 2012.[13] Philippou was victorious with a third round TKO stoppage.

Philippou was expected to face Ronaldo Souza on May 18, 2013 at UFC on FX 8.[14] However, Philippou pulled out of the bout in early May, citing a cut above his eye, and was replaced by Chris Camozzi.[15][16]

Philippou next faced Francis Carmont at UFC 165.[17] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Philippou faced Luke Rockhold on January 15, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 35.[18] He lost the fight via KO in the first round.[19]

Philippou faced Lorenz Larkin in the co-main event at UFC Fight Night 40.[20] He won the fight via knockout in the first round.

Philippou was expected to face Uriah Hall on January 18, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 59,[21] however, Philippou would be forced out the bout due to injury.[22]

Philippou faced Gegard Mousasi on May 16, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 66.[23] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

On July 7, 2015, Philippou retired from MMA. Earlier in the day, he made his Twitter account private, with an avatar that read "THIS ACCOUNT IS NO LONGER IN SERVICE. PLEASE UNFOLLOW."[24] The UFC then confirmed via Twitter that he had told them of his retirement.[25][26]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 13–5 (1) Gegard Mousasi Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Faber May 16, 2015 3 5:00 Pasay, Philippines
Win 13–4 (1) Lorenz Larkin KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva May 10, 2014 1 3:27 Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Loss 12–4 (1) Luke Rockhold TKO (body kick) UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Philippou January 15, 2014 1 2:31 Duluth, Georgia, United States
Loss 12–3 (1) Francis Carmont Decision (unanimous) UFC 165 September 21, 2013 3 5:00 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win 12–2 (1) Tim Boetsch TKO (punches) UFC 155 December 29, 2012 3 2:11 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 11–2 (1) Riki Fukuda Decision (unanimous) UFC 148 July 7, 2012 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 10–2 (1) Court McGee Decision (unanimous) UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann March 3, 2012 3 5:00 Sydney, Australia
Win 9–2 (1) Jared Hamman KO (punches) UFC 140 December 10, 2011 1 3:11 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win 8–2 (1) Jorge Rivera Decision (split) UFC 133 August 6, 2011 3 5:00 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Loss 7–2 (1) Nick Catone Decision (unanimous) UFC 128 March 19, 2011 3 5:00 Newark, New Jersey, United States Catchweight (195 lbs) bout.
Win 7–1 (1) Uriah Hall Decision (majority) Ring of Combat 34 February 4, 2011 3 4:00 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win 6–1 (1) Aung La Nsang TKO (punches) Ring of Combat 33 December 3, 2010 1 0:11 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
NC 5–1 (1) Marcus Finch NC (groin kick) Ring of Combat 32 October 23, 2010 2 2:47 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win 5–1 Victor O'Donnell Decision (unanimous) Ring of Combat 26 September 11, 2009 3 5:00 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Won the Ring of Combat Middleweight Championship.
Win 4–1 Aaron Meisner Submission (rear-naked choke) Ring of Combat 23 February 20, 2009 1 2:27 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win 3–1 John Doyle TKO (punches) Ring of Combat 22 November 21, 2008 3 3:05 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win 2–1 Brendan Barrett TKO (doctor stoppage) Ring of Combat 21 September 12, 2008 1 3:29 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win 1–1 Tony Andreocci KO (punch) Ring of Combat 20 June 27, 2008 1 0:22 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Loss 0–1 Ricardo Romero Decision (split) Ring of Combat 19 May 9, 2008 3 5:00 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Light Heavyweight bout.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Brown vs. Silva". UFC.com. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  2. ↑ Michael Drahota (September 17, 2013). "UFC 165 fight card: Costa Philippou vs Francis Carmont fight preview". MMAmania.
  3. ↑ UFC Fighter Rankings
  4. ↑ "Costa Philippou leaves Team Serra-Longo". mmafighting.com. May 30, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Nick Catone now meets Costa Philippou in UFC 128 catchweight fight". mmajunkie.com. March 12, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Replacement Costa Philippou meets Rafael "Sapo" Natal at UFC 133". MMA Junkie. June 20, 2011.
  7. ↑ "With Alessio Sakara out, Costa Philippou faces Jorge Rivera at UFC 133". MMA Junkie. July 25, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Jared Hamman vs. Costa Philippou added to UFC 140 in Toronto". mmajunkie.com. October 25, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Court McGee vs. Costa Philippou added to UFC on FX 2". mmajunkie.com. December 27, 2011.
  10. ↑ "UFC 148 adds middleweights Fukuda vs. Philippou". mmajunkie.com. 2012-03-21.
  11. ↑ "Middleweights Nick Ring, Costa Philippou Set to Square Off at UFC 154 in Toronto". Sherdog.com. 2012-09-16.
  12. ↑ http://www.ufc.com/news/Nick-Ring-Out-of-154
  13. ↑ "Chris Weidman out at UFC 155, Constantinos Philippou now fights Tim Boetsch". mmajunkie.com. November 21, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Constantinos Philippou vs. 'Jacare' Souza targeted for UFC on FX 8 in Brazil". mmajunkie.com. 2013-02-15. Retrieved 2013-02-15.
  15. ↑ Ariel Helwani (May 3, 2013). "Injury forces Costa Philippou out of 'Jacare' Souza fight at UFC on FX 8". mmafighting.com. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  16. ↑ Staff (May 3, 2013). "Chris Camozzi ersätter mot ‘Jacare’, Natal möter nu nykomlingen Joao Zeferino". mmanytt.se. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  17. ↑ Staff (2013-07-30). "Francis Carmont meets Constantinos Philippou at UFC 165 in Toronto". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2013-07-30.
  18. ↑ Staff (2013-11-17). "UFC Fight Night 35 in Georgia adds Luke Rockhold-Constantinos Philippou as main event". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-11-17.
  19. ↑ http://www.sherdog.com/events/UFC-Fight-Night-Rockhold-vs-Philippou-33929
  20. ↑ Staff (2014-03-02). "Lorenz Larkin vs. Constantinos Philippou slated for UFC Fight Night 40 in Cincinnati". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  21. ↑ Staff (2014-10-29). "Uriah Hall-Costas Philippou added to UFC Fight Night 59". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-10-29.
  22. ↑ Staff (2015-01-01). "Costas Philippou forced off UFC Fight Night 59 main card with injury". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-01-01.
  23. ↑ Staff (2015-03-02). "UFC Fight Night 66 adds Mousasi vs. Philippou, Lim vs. Magny". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-03-02.
  24. ↑ "Philippou's Twitter Account Goes Private". 2015-07-07. Retrieved 2015-07-07.
  25. ↑ "UFC VP confirms Philippou's retirement via Twitter". 2015-07-07. Retrieved 2015-07-07.
  26. ↑ Mookie Alexander (2015-07-07). "UFC middleweight Costas Philippou retires". bloodyelbow.com.

External links

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