A week after the much anticipated boxing bout featuring the biggest Pilipino name of the moment, a Pilipino American, named Phillipe Nover, set out on a mission of his own to win a contract with the UFC as a contestant of the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter. Nover did not win the bout against Efrain Escudero on December 13th, but he did leave the match determined to continue on his MMA journey and with a fan base eager to see another Pilipino reppin’ in the mainstream.

In this interview, which took place over the phone during his nursing shift at Methodist Hospital, I spoke to Phillipe about his loss, the possibility of fighting in the Philippines, the infamous fruit bowl incident, and training in the Pilipino martial art of Arnis.

Ninoy: How did you get into mixed martial arts?

Phillipe: When I was younger I was always involved in martial arts. I got into a couple scuffles in grade school, and my parents enrolled me into a martial arts school to learn self-defense aspects. And then it started growing on me. I learned how to defend myself. I wanted to take it to a level of competition. I started getting enrolled into tournaments. I used to do kung-fu/karate tournaments. I used to do forms. I even used to do kali/single-stick/double-stick/full-contact arnis tournaments. I really liked it. I liked the concentration. Around age 16 or 17, I had my first experience in the ring with an amateur Muay Thai bout, and I just loved it. I loved winning. I loved training up for a fight and having to win after is great. It’s like a drug. I’d love to train and fight for a living; that’s my dream and that’s what I’m pursuing. After you win that first fight and all my training partners started winning, I was like, “This is it, I love this sport”. My first MMA bout was in 2003 and after that, I was hooked.

You mentioned you trained in the Pilipino art of Arnis/Eskrima. Has there been anything from that discipline that you have incorporated into your mixed martial arts game?

Definitely. I warm up and use the kali sticks to this day. If you go to the UFC website and you’ll see some of the clips of me warming up for Efrain. In the preview for the fight, you’ll see me using the arnis sticks. In MMA, you’re not going to fight with sticks, but I use it to warm up my hands. I use it to warm up my wrist. I even use it for my footwork. Especially when doing the knife type of formation, where you use the footwork with a knife, it’s very cat-like. I still train the arnis. Also, it’s good to train arnis cause I enjoy it and don’t want to overdue the mixed martial arts, always doing the kicking, punching, take downs, and submissions. Sometimes I decide I’m going to put my gi on and do jiu-jitsu and the next decide to do kali forms.

Growing up in the West Coast, I’ve noticed differences growing up as a Pilipino American as opposed to growing up in the East Coast. How would you describe growing up in Brooklyn as a Pilipino American?

Growing up in my neighborhood, there weren’t too many Pilipinos. Now there are. I still live in the same neighborhood where I grew up, Canarsie, Brooklyn. When I was growing up, it was predominantly Italian and Jewish American. There were Black Americans and a small Pilipino community, also. Growing up I actually got into a few scuffles. There were a few different groups of Pilipinos, one group that I was very friendly with and another group that I got picked on by. I don’t know if it was cause they sensed that I was a “half-breed”? I see myself as a Pilipino American, but growing up and meeting some other Pilipinos, I don’t know if they were jealous. They were real cliquey, so I got into a lot of fights with other Pilipino groups. They had these mini-sub-type of gang things. They weren’t a real gang cause they didn’t hustle drugs or murder people, but it was like a real clique. We got into fights with them a lot of times. I wouldn’t say it was tough growing up cause I didn’t get involved in the drugs and alcohol and all that stuff, but I got involved a lot in the fighting. It was a little bit rough, but after a while I just moved on. The kids who jumped me were losers so I never look back at it like I wish I could go back and do something about it. I didn’t get hurt bad, just a couple punches here and there. They were older than me, I remember. But I grew up in that and just focused on school and martial arts.

Right now, it’s an interesting time for young Pilipino kids seeing prominent Pilipinos in the mainstream, folks who aren’t afraid to hide their culture. In the realm of professional fighting, we have folks like Manny Pacquiao, Brandon Vera, and yourself. On the show you were displaying your culture proudly, how important was it for you to do this?

Once I got on the show, I knew I really wanted to rep the Philippines. I think we have warrior blood throughout our history, even in our recent history. We have a war-like mentality in our culture. I really wanted to rep it because there really aren’t too many Pilipinos other than Brandon Vera. No other Pilipinos really got onto the show. I knew Pilipinos stick together, so I tried to get a nice fan base. We’re real loyal to each other, so I put some subliminal messages out there when I was on the show. My mouthpiece is Pilipino flag colors. I made a sign that says, “Sipag at tiyaga” on the wall of my room. On my hat it says, “Mahal kita, Lola”. And the balut scene, that was a big explosion. I heard that balut went up in price since I did that (laughs). I’m just so glad to be Pilipino and have it in my blood, that warrior mentality. I wanted to show that Pilipinos could get into the mainstream in more types of sports, not just boxing. I know Manny Pacquiao really set us into boxing, but hopefully I can set us into the mixed martial arts world and make everyone proud.

Have you had a chance to meet Brandon Vera?

I haven’t had the chance to. I will soon, one day, I know. I heard he’s a cool dude. And he speaks Tagalog pretty cool. I have to brush up on my Tagalog.

There’s a video clip of you online riding a carabao on a farm in the Philippines.

Yeah, I posted that up. I went there about a year and a half ago to my aunt’s farm in Nueva Ecija. I engulf the culture. If I posted all the stuff I did in the Philippines, people would be like, “Are you kidding me?” Some Pilipinos wouldn’t even be doing that. I ate these insects when I was there, sala gubang, and I ate a whole bowl of it. It was great. I participate in the pig slaughtering. Everything. I’m down, man. I basically hop in the back of a jeepney, with a hole in my shirt, a hole in my shorts and tsinelas and nobody even knows who I am. I love the culture. I’m going back home in 2 weeks.

So you go back often?

I try to go back every other year, so it’s been about a year and half to two since I’ve been there. It just keeps changing every time I go back. Even the fish-bol guy is texting people. It’s funny, but I love it.

It seems like you do feel a strong connection back to the Philippines.

Oh yeah, for sure. I have a really strong connection. I have a big family there, and I miss them so much when I’m away for more than a year or two and I come back and am like, “Who is this?” I can be there around my family all day. I love the weather. I love the food. I love the culture. It’s great. If I could live there, train there, and bring my family with me, I would. We’ll see what’s stopping me. I know in the future, I want to retire there.

Much praise was given to you regarding your fighting skills, some critics labeled it hype. Dana White even compared you to a young George St. Pierre. Did you feel a sense of pressure living up to this?

I guess I did. Fighting is all about pressure, but I definitely felt an extra layer. Dana White really said some really good things about me. A lot of people said good things about me cause of my victories on the show. I really smashed guys. In stand-up, I took them apart. In groundwork, I was able to suck ‘em in and get ‘em real quick. I think they compared me to high-level fighters because I was well rounded and finished fights quick. They liked it. I’ve been working toward the goal of being a good professional fighter in all elements. I have to work on my wrestling. In fact, my wrestling is pretty good. I’m not going to say I’m as good as a college D-1 wrestler, but I’m roughly good. I just got caught with Efrain. If anything, wrestling is my weakest element. I’m well rounded, which is why I think they compared me like that. Dana White could have said, “Phillipe, you’re a scrub.” Then it wouldn’t have fazed me, cause once I’m in that cage, it’s just me and my opponent. There is no, thinking about the odds or thinking about the people watching. It’s just me and him. I gotta come out there and win. That’s what’s on my mind.

What were your thoughts on your performance against Efrain?

I wasn’t disappointed. If you go to the UFC website, they ask me if I’m disappointed in my performance, and I say that I’m not disappointed. I fought my heart out. I really tried my best. I didn’t get choked. I didn’t get knocked out. I fought until the last second. If I were to fight ten rounds, I would have done it. My conditioning is there. My strength is there. All the elements are there. But my strategy and game plan was wrong. Maybe I fed into the hype too much, being so eager to hit him and knock him on his ass. In my head, I knew was if I gave him 3 or 4 punches I could put him on his ass. I was just too eager. I should have came out strategically, threw in a couple jabs and got in a nice little stance. But all the victory to him, it’s a strategy. That’s the main pillar of fighting. The underdog can still win through the right strategy; it’s the art of war. I think I’ve learned a lot. If I went out there and didn’t learn anything from a loss, I’d be really upset with myself. I got out there with an open mind and I’m going to grow from losses. Everybody grows from losses if they’re really good.

Dana White expressed a desire to bring a UFC event to the Philippines for 2009. There was an article in Sherdog last week arguing that the UFC was hoping for a Nover win to galvanize more interest of the sport in the Philippines and that with your loss, it’s pushed back the date to bring an event out there. What are your thoughts surrounding this?

I haven’t read that article, but the UFC really wanted to market me for the Philippines. I know that I’m most likely going to be on that card, 99.9% sure, whenever that date happens. I don’t know if it would really affect it that they would have to push the date back. I know that even if I wasn’t on the card, the Philippines loves UFC. Chuck Liddel goes there and can’t even walk down the block without 6,000 people jumping on him. I know that even if I wasn’t on the card, the Philippines loves that combative sport. If I were to fight in the Philippines, it would be beyond my dreams. My only dream was to get on the show and fight at least one or two fights. Get a few wins and just show my name out there. Now I’m hearing things that I’m going to be in the Philippines fighting, and it’s just amazing. I think they might do it in Araneta.

As of right now, where do you see your future in MMA and UFC?

I hope I can fight as a lightweight. I want to fight at least three fights a year and move up the ranks. I really want to train full-time. Unfortunately, I have to rely on support systems to train full-time. Getting into the show, making it to the finals, and losing was a set back, financially. But luckily I have parents and support systems that have really helped me out. I basically quit my job when I was on the show, came back, and said I was not coming back. I trained full-time, working only once a week, training five to six days a week. When I lost it was horrific. I basically moved back in with my mom. I have a tenant living in a house I bought after two years of saving from nursing. I want to train full-time; I have the potential. Unfortunately, it doesn’t pay like boxing. I hope people realize that up-and-coming UFC fighters are struggling athletes. We’re struggling artists, in the same realm. But I really hope that in the years to come, I can really get to that level of where I make enough money and can train full-time, not having to worry about doing 10-12 hour tours at work. I’m not the type of person who likes to walk around with luxurious cars and do any of that stuff. I’m more of a laid back guy. All I want to do is have a nice sushi dinner and train with the highest level people all day. I want to enjoy organic food and treat my body the right way rather than splurge my money around. If I could, eventually I want to teach, which is an element that I did and hope to go back.

I’m assuming this Saturday, you’re going with Nog.

Noguiera is the man.  Beyond supporting him because I was on his team, I think he’s a great fighter. He’s a champion. Nog is a straight worker. When I was on the show, he was already training before the team came to the training center. I love the way he trains; he’s pouring sweat. I hope he wins, and I hope he does well.

Lastly, how does urine drenched fruit taste?

Hahahah. I’ll tell you what, because it was sitting at the bottom of the refrigerator for that amount of time, no one really could tell. If you were to take a fresh one right from the urine area it would probably be hot and you could tell. But this was at the bottom of the refrigerator for 24-48 hours and coming home from training, you’re just a hungry man and want to start eating this stuff. It’s like a frat house. What can you expect?

Phillipe would also like to send a shout out to his girl, Maritoni. Sorry, ladies.

Previously: FOBB of the Week: Phillipe Nover

-Ninoy Brown

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008 at 3:29 pm and is filed under Interviews, Pil Am Bidness, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.