Phillipe Nover weighing in for UFC 98 (UFC.com)

MANILA, Philippines – Philippe Nover, dubbed as “The Filipino Assassin,” is aiming to let go of the pressure when he returns to the Octagon on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) for UFC 109: Relentless in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“I can’t think about all that pressure and expectation. I’m just going to go out there and have some fun. I thought that in ’09 I wasn’t really having fun and that it was a very negative year. You know, a lot of things happened that didn’t work out and in 2010 I’m going to go out there and I’m going to really have some fun - that’s my new slogan,” Nover told Rhett Butler of UFC.com.

The Filipino-American from Brooklyn, New York added: “If you want to know what’s going to happen on February 6th, it’s that I’m going to have some fun beating Rob Emerson.”

The 26-year-old mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter admitted that he felt a lot of pressure in 2009 as he came off the show “The Ultimate Fighter.”

“Everybody had expectations: Dana White, the UFC, fans, friends and family, everybody expected me to just go out there and just kill everybody like I was the big fish and the new hype.”

However, he lost in May 2009 to Kyle Bradley via a 1st round technical knockout in UFC 98: Evans vs Machida. Prior to that, he lost to Efrain Escudero by unanimous decision in The Ultimate Fighter Finale: Team Nog vs Team Mir in December 2008.

Decent striker

Nover added that he expects Emerson to be a tough opponent when they slug it out at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in the event headlined by Randy “The Natural” Couture and Mark “The Hammer” Coleman.

“Rob is a really tough guy. He fought a few tough names and lost by decision. He can go the distance. I feel ready for whatever he throws at me,” he told UFC.com.

Emerson, 28, said of his UFC 109 foe: “He’s a decent striker and a black belt on the ground. He makes up for his lack of his experience with aggression. I think his wrestling is his weakest weapon, which isn't good if he's fighting me.”

“I'm not putting so much emphasis on who my opponent is. I just concentrate on me and my thoughts when I train. I push myself so that I will be the best fighter I can be that night and how I'm going to perform,” added the mixed martial artist fighting out of Irvine, California.

While Emerson thinks that wrestling is Nover’s weakness, the Filipino-American cited his opponent’s flaw in jiu-jitsu.

“I think his jiu-jitsu might not be as talented as mine. I’ve been improving on a lot of holes in my game, but I’ve really improved my wrestling skills and I’ve been improving my stand-up,” he noted.

Nover has an overall MMA record of 6-2-1 while Emerson has 10 wins, 8 losses and 1 no contest.

Phillipe Nover in UFC action (UFC.com)

The Californian also suffered 2 consecutive losses in 2009 to Rafael dos Anjos by unanimous decision in September (UFC 103: Franklin vs Belfort) and Kurt Pellegrino by submission (choke) in February (UFC Fight Night: Lauzon vs Stephens).

Hard work and patience

Nover, a registered nurse, revealed that he has been “working on every aspect of the game in every area” to be a well-rounded fighter.

“You can expect me to be sharpening my tools and just getting better. I want to be really, really strong in every type of range. Whether it’s boxing, kick boxing, jiu-jitsu or wrestling, I want to be completely confident”

His training regimen includes kickboxing at 9 a.m., conditioning at 11:30 a.m. and sparring at 4 p.m.

He then shared his journey to the UFC, which he called the National Basketball Association (NBA) of MMA. He noted that competing in the UFC was one of his top goals in life.

“I dedicated all my heart, body, and spirit to it everyday. I guess your dreams can come true when you work hard for them. Kung may sipag at tiyaga, may nilaga [With hard work and patience comes great rewards].”

Passion for fighting

He said he got into fighting when his parents enrolled him in a martial arts class to learn self-defense since he got into fights as a grade school pupil.

“I have two heroes in my life. My mother and father. They both put my brother and I first in their lives before anyone and anything, even themselves. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them.”

Nover’s instructor enrolled him in various competitions when he got better in training. The competitions included karate and kung-fu tournaments, point sparring matches and arnis tournaments. He also fought in amateur Muay Thai kickboxing.

“I loved the ring. I loved the crowd. After I fought my first MMA match I was truly in love. I made it my passion. I loved fighting and winning. From that point on, I set goals in my life which I strive everyday to achieve. The greatest was to fight in the UFC. And here I am!”

Aside from Nover, other Fil-Am fighters making waves in the UFC are Brandon “The Truth” Vera and Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Muñoz. - With a report from UFC.com

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