Phillipe Nover is on a mission to prove he is here to stay, and not just another "TUF" UFC cut. To do it, Nover will have to defeat "tough guy" veteran Kyle Bradley at UFC 98.

"Kyle Bradley is one tough guy," Nover says. "He's coming off of two losses, his only two fights in the UFC, and this is really his chance to prove himself. He didn't lose to scrubs, either; he lost to really tough guys. Not too many people can say they've beat Chris Lytle, and not too many people can say that they've beat Joe Lauzon. He fought and lost to two very tough guys. I'm not taking him lightly. Because he lost those fights he's sort of a cornered animal, and this is his last fight to survive here," Nover says. "So I know he's going to go all out and I'm going to have to weather his storm and then bring him into the deep end of the water."

Nover put together a series of impressive wins during his stint on The Ultmate Fighter 7 impressing UFC President Dana White enough that he declared Nover the "Anderson Silva of the lightweight division". Nover had an undefeated record of 5-0-1 before meeting Efrain Escudero in the TUF 8 finale where he was defeated by the NCAA Division I wrestling ace. Nover took the loss hard, admitting that he was broken for a couple of weeks afterwords.

"Well, I'd never lost before, it was my first time," he says. "And especially to lose on the biggest stage in the world, to be the main event on live television... A year ago nobody had ever heard of me, and then I'm on the main card in the UFC. The pressure was immense, and after taking a loss on that level I was definitely broken mentally for a couple of weeks. But right now I feel like a rocket again, and I think I'll go right out there and do what I used to do."

Nover states that he's worked diligently on his wrestling and specifically on his takedown defense. And, if his bloodlines are any indication, Nover will bounce back just fine. Nover claims to have the blood of a warrior.

"My grandfather used to fight full-contact stick fighting in World War II," he says. "Which is a little wild. It's a step above MMA when you're swinging bamboo sticks at each other. So yeah, I've got warrior blood."

Nover's warrior spirit was evidenced by his percerverience through one of the most unique and embarrasing episodes in TUF history. During the tapping of the first show, Nover actually passed out on camera while being addressed, along with other TUF alum, by Dana White.

"People actually say, ‘yo, did you do it on purpose?' Now, that would be impossible that I did it on purpose," he says. "If I'd faked it and then Joe Duarte beat the crap out of me I'd forever be known as this guy who fainted on TV, and that would be the worst situation. It was 100% real, but there was pressure there too, playing the weak guy role, playing a little possum."

quotes courtesy of ufc.com