MMA Interview:Phillipe Nover

Straight From D Source: UFC Ultimate Fighter Phillipe Nover Interview.

As I promised, I sat down with UFC Ultimate Fighter contender Phillipe “The Filipino Assassin” Nover who is fighting in the semifinals of the show to be aired this Wednesday, December 3 on Spike TV. This is a follow-up to an article I wrote about Phillipe last week. We talked about his roots and martial arts background and how he balances 2 hectic careers. Coincidentally, Phillipe was on duty when I secured this interview, proving how much of a multi-tasker the guy is. Here’s the transcript of my interview with Phillipe.


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8COUNT - D Source for 8 Count News is here with the Ultimate Fighter Lightweight contender, “The Filipino Assassin” Phillipe Nover. Phillipe, thanks for taking time out to do this interview.



PHILLIPE NOVER – Hey, Thanks. Thank you. It’s a pleasure man.

8COUNT – So how are you doing man? How’s training?

PHILLIPE NOVER – Training is good man. I’m really pushing the pace. I’ve never really trained so much and gave up nursing like this. It’s such a full-time position and I love it. This is what I asked for. I want to be a full-time fighter and that’s what I’m doing right now.

8COUNT – Tell us how you got into mixed martial arts and how you got in to the Ultimate Fighter show.

PHILLIPE NOVER – It was basically a really long journey. Well first of, I started training with Ralph Mitchell in a school called Universal Defense Systems and I was around age 9 or 10. It was more of traditional arts that I trained. We did Kung-Fu, we did more of point sparring type tournaments. From that point I had my first Muay Thai fight I believe- like Amateur Muay Thai- I believe around age 16. I really liked the ring atmosphere. I really like the continuous contact. And my training partner had a few MMA fights and I said this is something I can get myself involved in. Then I started training some Jiu-Jitsu and I got my ground game better then I started fighting pro since ’03. Then I tried out for the Ultimate Fighter about 3 times and on the third try, I finally got on its season 8 and it’s a blessing that I got on.

8COUNT – For those who haven’t seen you fight, can you describe to us your fighting style and what do you think sets you apart from all the other MMA fighters out there?

PHILLIPE NOVER – Hmm… I would definitely say that… People told me that my fighting style is adaptive and I’m pretty much comfortable in all ranges. I’m comfortable on the ground. I have my brown belt in Jiu-Jitsu. I’m comfortable in the clinch because I have about 14 or 15 years of Muay Thai. I’m comfortable in stand-up, I’m really good in all territories and I punch with pretty heavy hands. All my strikes are pretty heavy so people really enjoy that and I’m glad. I really train hard. And I think what separates me is probably my power, from the average 155er. I’m a lot stronger. I used to fight at 185 and I used to fight as 170. The first time I actually fought as 155 is at the show and one of the reasons that I also passed out. I never really cut that much but now my body is used to it and I like fighting at 155. I feel like I can just throw somebody out of the cage. (Laughing)

8COUNT – Awesome! I was going to get to that. I wanted to ask you about what happened when you fainted on the first episode of the show. And do people at the show give you a hard time for that?

PHILLIPE NOVER – You know what, right when I fainted, immediately a few minutes later we had the fights fixed. We had the match-ups and Joe Duarte already had the match-up against me. From that point on Joe played that real dominant role. He sold himself really well. He told everyone how good he was. Everyone expected him to be just this stud- which he is. He was a really tough fighter. I had to play that really submissive role, quiet, nervous kind of guy. And I only change when they call my name out. When it was my time to fight I flipped the switch and I knew that it was “do or die” for me. If Joe Duarte was going to beat me he was going to have to kill me.

8COUNT – I found out that you’re also a registered nurse in the Emergency Room.. Can you tell us how you find time and still train and still be a regular nurse also?

PHILLIPE NOVER – You know, it was a really tough balance. I can remember always coming to work all beat up and bruises and stuff and I walk around with an ice pack all over myself. My co-workers are like “What the heck is wrong with you?” And I’m like “Oh, I just did some sparring today.” But you know the 3-12 hour tour is good because you can pretty much train 3 or 4 days out of the week. I even train on the days that I’m working because I can train at work. I do my conditioning sometimes at work. If it’s 3o’clock in the morning, because I do 12 hour night tours- on my break at 3 in the morning I might be running on the steps, or I might be running on the tread mill or doing like 30-40 minutes of heart conditioning. Then I shower in the locker room and go back to work on my scrubs.

8COUNT – Describe to us how it is being a nurse and a fighter at the same time. Is there a relation between the fields?

PHILLIPE NOVER – The only relation I could say is that I really, from day one before I pursued either paths, I was really interested in the human body. I really appreciated everything about it and I just wanted to study it. And the best way to study it was from both angles. I studied the way to heal, you know, the processes of anatomy and physiology and I went to school for that and at the same time I studied the physics and the abilities you can use to destroy the body- using physical combat. I guess that’s the unity of both fields. I really appreciate the human body and I like to test it. I like to test it when I train and I like to test it in the cage. I like to test myself.

8COUNT – Do you think it gives you an edge that you have this nursing background and knowledge about the human body and all of that, when you step in the octagon?

PHILLIPE NOVER – I do think that working in the ER as a nurse gave me a bit of an edge when I fought because working in the ER at night and I worked in such a busy hospital. It was Coney Island hospital in the ER. I got to see pretty much everything there is to be seen from the entire spectrum of people. So nothing was surprising me. I could be really sleepy at 4 or 5:30 am and anything could come in from a stab would or anything with blood, gore and guts. You just got to be on your toes, you have no emotion and you just got to work and try to save that person. At the same time when you’re in the cage, you’re just a machine just like that. You just got to work and do what you’re trained to do just like when you are to save someone or you got to hurt someone.

8COUNT – So it’s safe to say that you have nerves of steel now and nothing fazes you.

PHILLIPE NOVER – I really think nothing fazes me- that’s definitely true. I got nerves of steel. I guess Dana White, when he announced that I was in it and that this is it and then it hit me, I fainted from that but from that point on I shown I have nerves of steel. (Laughing)

8COUNT – (Laughing) Ok, now let’s talk about your Filipino background. You introduced “Balut” in the show and really made it a point to show love to your Filipino roots and I think that’s really awesome of you. So let’s talk more about that.

PHILLIPE NOVER – Ok, well definitely going into the show I wanted to represent the Philippines. I wasn’t born in the Philippines but I was pretty much raised there every other summer. I eat Filipino food, I train Filipino arnis.

8COUNT – So both your parents are Filipinos?

PHILLIPE NOVER – No, my dad is American and my mother is from Manila so I’m a half-breed. (Laughing)

8COUNT – And you said you visited the Philippines every summer?

PHILLIPE NOVER – Pretty much every summer. When I was younger I went all the time. I was there last year too and I’m going back again in ’09. I’m going in January.

8COUNT – Wow! Lucky guy.

PHILLIPE NOVER – (Laughing) Yea bro, I can’t wait for that! I love it in there.

8COUNT – (Laughing but jealous deep inside LOL) So what places do you visit? Which places do you go to and your favorite places?

PHILLIPE NOVER – Man, the last time I went there, well I’m in Quezon city, so the last time I was there I went to The Fort, I think that’s what it’s called. I went to a few clubs and stuff. I’m not really too much of a clubby guy, but when you’re on vacation you can’t help but hang out.

8COUNT – Exactly, especially in Manila man!

PHILLIPE NOVER – Yea. The thing about the Philippines that I like man, is that I have so much family there and when I visit I can just pretty much just sit with my cousins at any spot. Even if we’re just at Starbucks man, we can just sit there and just hang out. You know just hanging out with my cousins, you know my younger cousins, and seeing all my titas, my titos, ang kuyas and everybody is just… I love it man! It’s like really a lot of unity.

8COUNT – Exactly! In the Philippines we call that “tambay”.

PHILLIPE NOVER – Tambay! (Laughing)

8COUNT – (Laughing)

PHILLIPE NOVER – Got it man! (Laughing)

8COUNT – So let’s talk about another big fight coming up other than your fight on the 3rd this Wednesday on Spike- your semifinal match. There’s also another fight involving another Filipino on Saturday: Manny Pacquiao against Oscar Dela Hoya.

PHILLIPE NOVER – Manny Pacquiao! Yea man, I really look up to him as a fighter and I think he’s incredible. He really worked up the ladder. I really hope he wins this Saturday. I’m really, really pushing for it. He’s the man! I remember talking to my cousins in the Philippines when he fights and they say that you can’t even find one person in the street when he’s fighting.. Everybody is watching TV and he got the whole nation on his shoulders. He works well under pressure, I think he’s amazing. I haven’t really met him, hopefully I can some time.

8COUNT – We got to set it up! I’m sure you’ll meet him at some point because you’re an awesome prospect man. You can be one of those torch carriers in the future after Pacquiao leaves the game.

PHILLIPE NOVER – Cool, thank you.

8COUNT – And lastly, do you have any messages to your fans and everybody out there that has followed you?

PHILLIPE NOVER – I would say that, your dreams can come true. If you’re reading this and if you’re listening to this, your dreams are within your grasp. If you can sacrifice everyday and you focus and cut off the things you don’t need. Link up with people you that you do need. Think positively, treat your body right. Your dreams can come true, it doesn’t matter what it is. My dreams came true. My ultimate goal was to become a pro fighter and just train full-time and make it to the UFC and here I am and no better route that I could’ve done it than getting on the Ultimate Fighter is just great. Not to mention even getting my nation behind me. That’s what’s amazing; this is more than I ever dreamed.

8COUNT – Definitely man! We are behind you. You’re a classy guy. I enjoy how you fight in the ring but with how you’ve conducted yourself out of the ring and what I see from your personality- you’re a class act man.

PHILLIPE NOVER – Thank you.

8COUNT – And I forgot to ask you one thing and I just want to throw it out. Can you give me a prediction for the upcoming Pacquiao- Dela Hoya fight?

PHILLIPE NOVER - Definitely Pacquiao all the way man! I’ll be watching it and Pacquiao all the way.

8COUNT - You think he’s going to knock him out?

PHILLIPE NOVER – My prediction is Pacquiao by decision.

8COUNT – Alright man, awesome! Ey, Phillipe thanks a lot bro.

PHILLIPE NOVER – Thanks a lot man!