Nevada−bound grappling goliath Phillipe Nover – a former nurse at Coney Island Hospital – stayed close to his Canarsie roots when he selected Aviator Sports and Recreation to get in some last−minute practice before heading to the Silver State for the Mixed Martial Arts Ultimate Fighting Championship 98, May 23.
“The Filipino Assassin,” a 25−year−old black belt in Brazilian Jiu−Jitsu with a 6−1−1− professional record, perfected his killer moves in Aviator’s state−of−the−art gymnasium, where instructor Brian Donnelly led the Leon M. Goldstein High School graduate who is, currently, pursuing his degree at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, through a grueling workout of strength, cardio, agility and mental drills, designed to push the body to the outer limits of total exhaustion.
Nover, who stands five−foot−nine−inches tall and tips the scales at 155 pounds, will square off against Kyle Bradley in the showdown of 18 ring titans to determine the best fighter on the planet. He has been training in martial arts since he was 10 years old, and has been a professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter for the past six years, having trained in Filipino Arnis, Muay Thai, Kick−Boxing, Kung−Fu, Jeet Kun Do and Savat.
The Our Lady of Miracles grade school alum made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut in the Ultimate Figher 8: Team Nogueira versus Team Mir.
Established in 1993, the Ultimate Fighting Championship follows a rich history and tradition of competitive Mixed Martial Arts, an intense and evolving combat sport in which competitors use interdisciplinary forms of fighting, including boxing, karate, jiu−jitsu, judo, kickboxing and wrestling to their strategic and tactical advantage in a supervised match.
About 80 years ago, widespread interest was re−ignited in the sport by a Brazilian form of the sport, known as Vale Tudo, or “anything goes.”
The championship will be broadcast live on Pay−Per−View from the MGM Grand Garden Arena, 10 p.m. Eastern Time.
For more information about the UFC 98 fight, visit the Web at: http:â„â„www.ufc.comâ„index.cfm?fa=EventDetail.FightCard&eid=2001.
