Andre Fili Discusses His Tight Split Decision Win at UFC on FOX 27

MMAjunkie spoke to UFC featherweight fighter Andre Fili after his split decision victory over Dennis Bermudez at last night’s UFC on FOX 27 event. Below are some highlights.

Fili’s thoughts on the decision: “I didn’t feel iffy at all until I heard 30-27 for him. I thought someone was tripping. But I’m not a judge. I’m a fighter. I fight my ass off, and hopefully they saw that.”

Fili on how the fight went: “I think I took every round. The only thing he did was take me down within the last 30 seconds, which is never good, because judges aren’t fighters. They probably don’t know what they’re looking at most of the time – a lot of them. They’d had to watch 10 different fights they don’t really give a (expletive) about, probably. And I’m like the 11th out of 12. So, by now they’re pretty much probably cashed out. And they just saw somebody on top of somebody in the end of the fight, so they went, ‘Oh, yeah, probably him.’ Like – I don’t know. I’m pretty annoyed about that. But I’m really happy with the win.”

Fili on why he thought he won the fight: “I feel like I earned that win. I won that fight, 100 percent. I worked my ass off for this. It feels really good to get this win. But I’m not here to be a junkyard fighter. I’m not here to be tough fighter. I’m not here to be a fighter that has wars. I’m here to be crisp and clean and long and dangerous. And when I fight, I want people to be sort of like in awe. I want people to know I’m the baddest, the most technical dude around. And tonight, because of Bermudez’s style, probably, he pulled me into a slugfest. And I’m not scared of a slugfest. I’ll win one of those too, but I’ll rather have a little different of a performance.”

His thoughts on getting into the rankings: “It’s been time. I’m a top-10 fighter right now. And I’m the best 145-er in the world. I’m going to keep proving that. I’m a top-10 fighter right now. I’ll be a top-five fighter by mid-year. And I’ll be fighting for my world title by the end of the year, period. In 2018, I’ll be challenging for that belt.”

On making the people around him proud: “All I give a (expletive) is making the people around me proud. It’s a weird thing. I felt the same way after I beat (Hacran Dias). He was No. 11, and I beat him on three weeks’ notice, and I didn’t get a number next to my name. It made me realize I don’t give a (expletive) about being ranked to people I’ve never met. I’m here to give back to people who invested in me – Danny Castillo, Urijah Faber. Team Alpha Male saved my life when I was 19, and putting up with me has a been a long-term investment. I’m just happy to give back.”