Was Kyler Phillips removed from the UFC roster? Why was the bantamweight fighter, rankings ineligible?
UFC bantamweight fighter Kyler Phillips was not removed from the UFC roster. Instead, the 29-year-old was ineligible for the UFC rankings when he was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
In March 2023, Phillips, along with Darrius Flowers, were temporarily suspended by the NSAC after they tested positive for Ostarine, a banned substance.
Fighter removed: Kyler PhillipsReminder - Kyler Phillips is on temporary drug suspension from Nevada, which would make him rankings ineligible. twitter.com/ufcrosterwatch…
Phillips was scheduled to fight Raphael Assuncao on March 11, 2023, at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada. 'Matrix' pulled out of the fight due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Davey Grant.
Despite the minor hiccup in 2023, Phillips has proven himself an entertaining fighter. In seven fights in the multi-billion dollar promotion, the 29-year-old has racked up two 'Fight of the Night' bonuses and one 'Performance of the Night' bonus.
Phillips made his UFC debut in February 2020 when he took on Gabriel Silva in a bantamweight bout. The fight went the distance and ended with a unanimous decision victory for Phillips.
He has since stacked up a 6-1 record under the UFC banner. His sole UFC defeat was a majority decision loss against Team Alpha Male's Raulian Paiva in July 2021.
In his last UFC outing in March 2024, Phillips defeated perennial contender Pedro Munhoz by unanimous decision. He currently occupies the No.12 spot in the official UFC bantamweight rankings and will take on No.10-ranked Rob Font on Oct. 19.
Kyler Phillips' teammate Sean O'Malley also tested positive for Ostarine in the past
Kyler Phillips' teammate Sean O'Malley also has a past involving the banned substance Ostarine. 'Suga' tested positive for the banned substance in 2018 and as a result, was punished with a six-month suspension by USADA.
O'Malley then went on to face another six-month suspension in 2019 after testing positive for Ostarine once again. After completing his second suspension, O'Malley returned to competition at UFC 248 in March 2020. The 29-year-old returned to competition in March 2020 and became a top contender in subsequent years.
O'Malley became the bantamweight champion by defeating Aljamain Sterling in August 2023 and defended the title against Marlon 'Chito' Vera. However, he lost the best to Merab Dvalishvili at Noche UFC 306 in September. It will be interesting to see if Phillips can recreate his teammate's success in the UFC in the following years.