With nicknames like “The Hammer” and “The Welsh Wrecking Machine,” you know that the UFC Fight Night 147 encounter between Jack Marshman and John Phillips is a battle of strikers. If the fight gets to the ground, Marshman, who is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt, may have the advantage.
He currently sports a 2-3 Ultimate Fighting Championship ledger and will look to improve when he meets his compatriot this weekend at The O2 Arena in London. Let these career-defining numbers show what Marshman is capable of.
15: Years old when his father introduced him to a mixed martial arts coach, Richard Shore. Marshman took his first class and was instantly hooked.
17: Years old when he entered the army, eventually serving as Lance Corporal for the 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment. Marshman was in active duty for 10 years, and at the same time a professional MMA fighter.
10: Wins without a loss to start his professional MMA career. He fought in Wales and England, capturing the Shock n' Awe and BAMMA middleweight championships.
4: Separate rounds were enough for him to seize the two titles. Marshman submitted Mike Ling in the first round to take the Shock n' Awe middleweight belt and needed three rounds to take out Carl Noon for the BAMMA middleweight crown. He successfully defended it once before losing it to Tom Watson.
1: Round needed to beat Andrew Punshon at BAMMA 10. It was supposed to be for the promotion’s middleweight strap but “The Hammer” missed weight.
25: Fights in regional promotions before getting signed by the UFC. Marshman lost only five times, and these were to Watson, Xavier Foupa-Pokam, Scott Askham, Ion Pascu and Abu Azaitar.
2: Rounds with Magnus Cedenblad in his Octagon debut. Marshman defeated the now retired Swedish middleweight via TKO, earning himself a Performance of the Night bonus.
13: Wins by KO or TKO. Marshman is a heavy hitter with a long list of victims that include Karim Mammar, Andrew Cochran, Leonardo Queiroz, Paul Jenkins, Kevin Reed (twice), Lee Chadwick, Noon, Wayne Cole, Simas Norkus, Che Mills, Christopher Jacquelin and Cedenblad.
5: Wins by submission. These were against Ling, Punshon, Bola Omoyele, Shaun Lomas and Ali Arish.
31: Percent striking accuracy in the UFC. The top-notch striker has attempted 467 significant strikes and landed 145.
75: Significant strikes is his highest output in a single fight, and it’s against Ryan Janes at UFC Fight Night 113. While Janes was slightly ahead at 83, all three judges saw it two rounds to one in favor of “The Hammer.”
5: Championships to his name. Apart from the Shock n' Awe and BAMMA middleweight titles, he also held the Ultimate Cage Fighting Championships, M4tC and Cage Warriors Fighting Championship middleweight belts.
8: Countries in which he has fought in. In addition to Wales and England, Marshman has also competed in Jordan, Northern Ireland, Canada, Scotland, Brazil and the United States.