THE HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED debut of SBG fighter John Phillips ended in defeat on Saturday night in London, as the Welsh-born fighter succumbed to an opening round choke from Charles ”Kid Dynamite” Byrd.

The 32-year-old did well to recover from an early takedown but Texas fighter Byrd maintained the upper hand to execute a rear-naked choke finish, forcing Phillips into submission after just under four minutes.

The 32-year-old, commended for his knockout ability on his feet, had been living in a caravan parked outside John Kavanagh’s driveway in preparation for Saturday’s bow but ended his debut at UFC 127 tasting defeat.

Byrd, meanwhile, added to a tally of wins with his fourth consecutive UFC victory.

4 straight finishes!@DynamiteByrd170 dominates in his Octagon debut and gets the tap in round 1! #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/gpIZmH5rNp

— UFC (@ufc) March 17, 2018

In the night’s main event Alexander Volkov shocked former heavyweight Fabricio Werdum with a stunning knockout.

The Russian, who on the night extended his winning streak to six, landed a succession of heavy blows to a grounded Werdum, before delivering a combination which left his opponent out cold.

40-year-old Werdum enjoyed the upper hand for large sways of the bout, however the Brazilian came under fire as a degree of complacency took hold to prelude his surprising fourth round knockout in the English capital.

Alexander Volkov knocks out Fabrício Werdum and says he is coming for the title #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/NLsbNkyHLM

— Louise Green (@LouiseGreenMMA) March 17, 2018

UFC London results:

• Alexander Volkov def. Fabrício Werdum KO (punches) Round 4 1:38
• Jan Błachowicz def. Jimi Manuwa Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) Round 3 5:00
• Tom Duquesnoy def. Terrion Ware Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) Round 3 5:00
• Leon Edwards def. Peter Sobotta TKO (punches) Round 3 4:59
• Charles Byrd def. John Phillips Submission (rear-naked choke) Round 1 3:58
• Danny Roberts def. Oliver Enkamp KO (punch) Round 1 2:12
• Danny Henry def. Hakeem Dawodu Technical Submission (guillotine choke) Round 1 0:39
• Paul Craig def. Magomed Ankalaev Submission (triangle choke) Round 3 4:59
• Kajan Johnson def. Stevie Ray Decision (split) (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Round 3 5:00
• Dmitriy Sosnovskiy def. Mark Godbeer Submission (rear-naked choke) Round 2 4:29

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