Overview
- Phil De Fries kept his KSW heavyweight title with a first-round rear-naked choke of Marcin Wójcik at KSW 117.
- De Fries said Ciryl Gane’s coach asked him to help prepare for Tom Aspinall, which he declined because he trains with Aspinall.
- Last October’s Aspinall vs Gane title fight ended after eye pokes to the champion, and De Fries says Aspinall has only recently eased back into training.
- Gane is now booked to face Alex Pereira for the UFC’s interim heavyweight belt in June on the White House card.
- De Fries has trained for years with Aspinall in Manchester, has ruled KSW since 2017 with a long win streak, and says he is open to crossover bouts including Francis Ngannou or Eddie Hall.