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Long Island's Constantinos Philippou wins fifth straight fight at UFC 148

Long Island's Constantinos Philippou, a Serra-Longo student, earned his fifth straight UFC victory Saturday night at UFC 148 with a unanimous decision win over Japanese veteran Riki Fukuda, and it nearly came at a big price.

By Jon Lane
Jul. 7, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UFC fighter Constantinos Philippou (top) battles Riki Fukuda during a middleweight bout in UFC 148 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE
Jul. 7, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UFC fighter Constantinos Philippou (top) battles Riki Fukuda during a middleweight bout in UFC 148 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

Long Island's Constantinos Philippou, a Matt Serra-Ray Longo student, earned his fifth straight UFC victory Saturday night at UFC 148 with a unanimous decision win over Japanese veteran Riki Fukuda. The native of Cyprus moved to 11-2 overall, 4-1 in the UFC, and an added another feather in his cap. Since a controversial loss to Nick Ring in his Zuffa debut, Philippou has scored wins over Jorge Rivera, Jared Hamman, Court McGee and now Fukuda.

Victory, however, nearly came at a heavy price. Philippou absorbed a deep eye poke late in Round 3 and told MMA Fighting.com he thought he lost his eye.

"I'm way better, the doctor told me it shouldn't be an issue, but just in case I'm going to see a specialist," Philippou said. "It wasn't the greatest fight, but a win is a win."

Here's the full interview with Ariel Helwani, during which he talks about never quitting and his next step in the UFC.