It turns out that one of the biggest stories coming out of UFC Vegas 122 isn’t Brendan Allen’s big submission win – it’s the praise being directed at veteran Andre Fili.
When Andre Fili knocked out Kai Kamaka III with a nice head kick, that was already seen as a pretty impressive moment. However, within the wider mixed martial arts community, the fact that he didn’t proceed to land extra shots on the ground is also being seen as a really nice touch from someone who has been fighting in the UFC for longer than most.
Someone who knows what it’s like to be on the receiving end of a bad knockout is none other than Aljamain Sterling, the former UFC bantamweight champion. Andre Fili hasn’t quite reached the same level as Sterling during his UFC career, but when you put in a performance like he did, it’s bound to catch the attention of the masses.
In a recent video reviewing the event and the knockout, Sterling had the following to say about Andre Fili opting against going in for extra shots on the ground when he knew that his opponent was already done.
Andre Fili receives big praise
“It reminds me of my fight with Marlon Moraes, after the knee landed, he just looked and was like, ‘Oh, this guy’s dead,’” Sterling said. “So Fili ran over like he was about to hit him one more time in case he woke up and he was just like, ‘He’s already out, this guy’s done.’ So good on him, good control for him to do that.
“I like seeing stuff like that. Being able to show that you’re still present and you’re not just—The guy’s got a family, man. So I always respect that, because you could easily go it’s the ref’s fault, you could easily go it’s Herb Dean’s fault for not pulling me off and go the Derrick Lewis route like that’s not my fault, so kudos to him for that.”
Quotes via MMA Fighting
The important thing for Fili is to continue trying to build momentum off the back of this. He’s already said he wants to continue fighting in the Apex, and if he is able to string together a few more wins, perhaps we could see a bit of a late resurgence. Either way, it’s nice to see someone who has been in the game for as long as he has still pushing for greatness at the top level.
