FiveKnuckles.com: Do you plan on furthering your education in the nursing field?

Phillipe Nover: I finished my associate degree in nursing years ago in which I obtained my RN (registered nurse). This month, I just finished a program that took me from my RN to my BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing). My parents were encouraging me to get it done, and it wasn't that hard because I was only taking one class per week. Now they want me to go for my Masters, which is a possibility, but only if I can get it done at a slow pace once again in order to pursue my fight career as much as possible.

FiveKnuckles.com: Now, I can definitely hear a thick New Yorker accent on you. Are you still living in the Big Apple?

Phillipe Nover: (Laughs) You hit that one right on the head. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. This accent is 100% Brooklyn.

FiveKnuckles.com: As your career picks up, do you plan on moving somewhere else or is New York your permanent home?

Phillipe Nover: MMA is slowly working toward legality here so I'm hoping to stay. I have friends and family here and I enjoy New York a lot. One thing that makes it hard is I have to travel all over New York City and New Jersey to stay on top of my game. I'm on a "connect the dots" subway line going from one training facility to another and meeting with different people to work on all areas of my game. Every couple months I go to Xtreme Couture's out in Vegas as a part of my fight camp which is quite easy compared to what I'm used to. There are great coaches, a stable of pro fighters, and a tremendous facility all in one place. All of the other fighters would laugh to see what I go through on a daily basis in New York.

I do love it here in New York and I plan on staying here, but you never know what the future holds. It's just a matter of trying to be as efficient as I can be and sometimes it gets hard. Vegas or somewhere else could be a prospect in the future, but right now I'm happy where I am so I'll continue to go about it the same way I have been.

FiveKnuckles.com: That must be a huge hassle for you to get where you need to go in the big city. You have to plan ahead and use every minute of the day wisely.

Phillipe Nover: Oh man, you have no idea. I have to plan so far in advance and my rest time is spent traveling from place to place. I usually go into the city to work my stand up at Church Street Boxing, then take the subway or the path train up to Hoboken, New Jersey to meet with my wrestling coach. In between, I'm on the subway taking notes or eating out of a bag so I definitely look like a crazy man (laughing). I'm normally all sweaty and eating out of a bag... and I carry my equipment in this huge luggage bag. I can feel all the people looking at me like: "Who is this bum over here?" Turns out I'm just a...

Make sure to check back with us the day of the event for free, live, round-by-round coverage of UFC 109 right here at FiveKnuckles.com! Join expert analyst Mike Williams as he takes you through the entire fight card blow-by-blow and then keep it right here for all the post-fight news and notes you can handle!