Issue 183

October 2019

Andre Fili looks back at five of his most significant fights which chart his journey from “obnoxious kid” to being the toast of Sacramento.

1. Sheymon Moraes, UFC Fight Night: de Randamie vs. Ladd

I'd rank this as my number one fight. The room was electric. It was awesome to have my dad in the crowd. It was cool to see him for the first item in a long time. Plus, my little sister, my mom, and the whole city of Sacramento were there with me. It was a beautiful thing that we all got to share that win together. Even though we all competed separately we won as a team. We won as a city. Going into Sacramento that night it was like the whole city was on fire. We all won. 

2. Gabriel Benitez, The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 2: Magny vs. Gastelum

I knocked him out with a headkick. He was trying to chop my legs up. It was not dissimilar to the fight at UFC Sacramento. I was really anxious. I was in there, trying to find the shots. It was crazy. Fighting is chaos and I was in the middle of the chaos. I distinctly remember hearing my coach telling me to settle in. That was the time that I felt myself level up. I felt myself completely embrace that chaos and find that eye of the storm. 

3. Hacran Dias, UFC Fight Night: Lineker vs. Dodson

I took that fight on two weeks’ notice. He was number 11 in the world. I feel like that fight gets slept on. I made the weight and he missed weight. He came in bigger than me and he was number 11 in the world and I took the fight on two weeks’ notice. I came in and put on a great performance against a high-level guy, a really high level guy. That was a big moment for me. When I saw that his opponent was out for that fight I read that tweet while I was sitting at my sister’s graduation. As soon as my sister walked across the stage I cheered and I clapped and then I left the room and texted Sean Shelby and said I wanted that fight. I told him it would be a banger and that I would deliver and I did.

4. Derrick Burnsed, Rebel Fighter: Domination

I was 19 and he was in his thirties. He was a very tough guy, a Team Alpha Male guy and a Strikeforce vet. He has high level striking and a black belt in BJJ. That was my first title fight and my first loss. That loss changed my life. Urijah was in his corner. We were going into the fifth round and that was the first time I was in deep water. It was for a local title and I wanted that fucking belt. There were times that he was on top of me in half guard or in my guard and he was bouncing my head off the mat. I was just looking over at Urijah smiling. I was just stoked that I was fighting in front of Urijah Faber. From that fight, I ended up making that connection, meeting Faber and going and training with them. Even though that was a tough loss, that fight shaped the rest of my life, being a part of Team Alpha Male.

5, Justin Smitley, Gladiator Challenge: Champions

This was earlier in my career. I was a young, obnoxious kid. I was telling all the Gladiator Challenge guys I wanted to fight for the belt. I pissed off the matchmaker and they fed me to Justin Smitley. They tried to teach me a lesson. It was just a crazy, back and forth war. I hit him with two big knees right to the chin. In my mind I am fighting this badass, so I think he just eats them. My corner yelled that he was hurt. I go off the two big knees and I go for a blast double leg and he basically falls over. Oh shit, he really is hurt! I was as surprised as anybody else. I land a few more punches and the ref stepped in. It was like I was outside my body watching myself do it. I realized I can hurt these guys. I can get in there and do this. As a kid I thought I was the baddest motherfucker alive, which I still am, but I hadn’t had to prove it up to that point. That was my first big test and I passed it.