Alan Philpott Scores Huge KO Victory in Singapore in Pursuit of ONE Championship Contract

It was a successful day at the “office” for Northern Ireland’s Alan Philpott on Tuesday as he scored a brutal KO victory over Myeong Gu Kim (10-5) on Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series in Singapore.

An entertaining fight from a viewers’ perspective saw Philpott excel in the striking exchanges throughout the contest. Large portions of the first and second rounds were spent on the mat, with both Philpott and Kim exchanging top position in the grappling transitions. There was even some confusion around a potential missed tap in the second round, as Philpott attempted an armbar from his guard.

“That armbar was on and ref shouted ‘catch’ to let the other officials know that he sees it. I thought he said ‘tap’, so I let go,” Philpott clarified when speaking to Severe MMA.

Kim had some success of his own, taking Philpott’s back a number of times, but the 31-pro fight veteran remained calm and battled out to a dominant position. The third round was a very different affair with Philpott coming out all guns blazing, landing early and often. If there was ever any debate as to who was going to walk out of the ring victorious, Philpott put the conversation to rest by dropping Kim with a left uppercut and following up with a brutal knee to the face to finish the fight.

Now with back-to-back wins on ONE Warrior Series, Philpott believes he has taken another step closer towards being signed by ONE Championship.

“I’ve shown what it takes to push through (adversity). I didn’t get the contract this time, but I have one more fight (on ONE Warrior Series), and I feel they’ll sign me after this.”

Considering the praise that Miesha Tate has been heaping on Philpott during commentary broadcasts and Philpott’s last two performances, you’d have to think that Rich Franklin will be strongly considering offering a contract in the near future.

“It’s a matter of when, not if,” Philpott assured me, spoken like a man confident in his status as a veteran of the game and a fighter in no rush.

For now though, the 19-11 fighter and Legends MMA head coach redirects his focus to Sydney, Australia.

“I am going to stay out of the ring for a few months, smash some jits comps, train, and learn. I have a gym with fighters who need me to concentrate on them and give my full attention. I have plans to help make Legends Gym in Sydney even better by adding more classes and coaches, which will benefit me, the fighters, the people who train for a hobby, and the gym. This is only the beginning. I have loads of time. Patience is a virtue.”

If you missed Alan’s fight, you can watch it on ONE Championship’s YouTube stream below: