LAS VEGAS, NV – OCTOBER 19: (LR) Rob Font elbows Kyler Phillips in a bantamweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 19, 2024 in Las Vegas, NV. to do. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Bantamweights Rob Font and Kyler Phillips faced off in what fans expected to be an explosive co-main event at UFC Vegas 99 on Saturday.
Prior to the match, Font stated that he hoped not to have to go to the hospital after the match, but was willing to go down that road if necessary. He also added Firas Zahavi of TriStar fame at corner.
Phillips landed a low leg kick and both fighters made the right moves. Kyler immediately entered with one foot and was able to grapple his opponent to the ground. Phillips almost effortlessly transitioned into side control and landed short strikes. About two minutes into the match, Kyler began attacking his arm and shoulder. This caught Font’s attention and he started landing a few well-placed elbows. Phillips continued to try to improve his position. With just over a minute left in the round, Font found a way to get back up during a failed submission.
When the match resumed, Kyler seemed a little lethargic, shuffling his feet along the cage and throwing a flurry of kicks. Font landed a deep takedown and the round ended with a brief stalemate near the cage, followed by an exchange of short leg strikes.
The second round saw Font stalking his opponent as he tried to land a big right hand. Phillips dodged for a few seconds and landed a well-timed takedown. The fonts started popping up after a few minutes. Phillips got back on his bike, moved his legs, and circled around the octagon. Font follows suit, and when he gets within range, they clash with a boxing combination. With a few minutes left in the round and Kyler disappearing out of range, Rob really started to find a home for that long right hand. In the final moments of the round, Kyler finally started to throw back a little from the clinch. However, he ended up being hit wide and outpaced throughout the round. In the final seconds of the round, Kyler was able to land a small dump takedown.
Kyler came out wearing a wrestling singlet and almost immediately went for a takedown, taking the lead in the third. Font was able to get out of the takedown and began walking his opponent back. Rob was able to score with multiple punch combinations, bouncing his opponent’s head up and down while retreating. About halfway through the round, Phillips lands a leg kick that partially buckles Font. After a brief altercation in the clinch, Rob begins to land some jab-driven combinations again.
Phillips appeared very tired as he landed too many punches and fought off subsequent takedown attempts. With seconds left in the round, Font continued to move forward, slamming into his opponent with a big right hand. The match ends with Kyler attempting a final takedown to slow the pace as time expires. When the scorecards were released, all three judges awarded the bout to Rob Font with a score of 29-28 in the third inning.
Official result: Rob Font wins. Kyler Phillips unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
