INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines - Following the path of two Filipino-foreign contenders in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), another Filipino is about to launch his career in the most prestigious mixed martial arts stage on the planet.

Philip Nover, a Filipino-American who grew up on the streets of Brooklyn, New York, will have his coming out party in UFC 98 on May 24, treading the footsteps of US-born Brandon Vera and Mark Munoz in the multimillion-dollar fight business.

The 25-year-old Nover faces the power-punching Kyle Bradley on his first official UFC clash in a lightweight match set at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

A nurse who dumped his job for a career in MMA, Nover was elevated to the UFC after a strong second-place finish in The Ultimate Fighter 8 last year, a reality show affiliated with the UFC.

Nover flaunted exceptional stand-up fighting skills coupled with good clinching and submission techniques to bring down top contenders Joe Duarte, Dave Kaplan and George Roop in the popular reality fight contest.

Nover's luck, however, ran out when he yielded to Efrain Escudero in the final match. Just the same, his 6-1-0 (win-loss-draw) record in the Ultimate Fighter was enough to draw the attention of the UFC and secure the monicker ``The Filipino Assassin.''

``The UFC was just a dream a few months ago. It's like the NBA of MMA,'' said Nover, who is expected to unload a variety of skills and techniques against the Louisiana-based Bradley (13-6-1).

``I put the UFC as one of the top goals in my life. I dedicated all my heart, body and spirit to it every day. I guess your dreams can come true when you work hard for them,'' added Nover.

A kickboxer, muay Thai specialist and a certified Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belter, Nover is also an outstanding performer in karate, kung fu and arnis, an indigenous Filipino martial arts using two wooden sticks as weapons.

Nover trekked a long road before reaching the octagon. It started out when his parents enrolled him in a self-defense class to ward off bullies in grade school.

After completing his martial art skills, Nover fought in the Ring of Combat but was forced to bow out due to an injury before finding his way to the TUF, the gateway to the UFC.

“I loved the ring, 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,” said Nover.

“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,” he added.