Rob Font relieved by Kyler Phillips win at UFC Fight Night 245 after camp switch: 'I put a lot of pressure on me'

LAS VEGAS – Rob Font had his back against the wall entering UFC Fight Night 245, but the recent changes he’s made in his MMA career helped him get out of that situation.

Font (21-8 MMA, 11-7 UFC), 37, was coming off two consecutive losses and was 1-4 in his past five outings prior to Saturday’s co-main event bout at the UFC Apex. Defeating young, rising contender Kyler Phillips was a must, and that he did. Font’s unanimous decision win over Phillips (12-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) came at a much-needed time, and also a time of change.

“Yeah, losing two in a row, a new camp, you obviously hope you made the right decisions,” Font told reporters at the UFC Fight Night 245 post-fight press conference. “I put a lot of pressure on me. I want to win. I want to win, and I want to get as many wins as possible, and I want to look good doing it. I was to represent my family the right way. So yeah, there was a lot of pressure, but this is what we do, and this is what we want. We want those moments, and I’m not afraid of that.”

This was Font’s first fight under seasoned coach Firas Zahabi at Tristar, most notably the home of MMA legend Georges St-Pierre. Font believes the switch to Tristar was key to his career and will continue to train there for the foreseeable future.

“It was a whole new camp and a whole new scenario,” Font said. “I was in Montreal basically all summer. I trained with all the guys out there. Firas has been a huge help in my career, and they took me in, and they opened up the red carpet for me, and I just want to give a shout-out back to everybody in Montreal.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.