Athletes
Andre Fili: Finding His Flow State
Featherweight Andre Fili Hopes To Break Into The Top-15 With A Dominant Win Over Dan Ige At UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Pyfer In Las Vegas.
To say Andre Fili loves fighting would be a massive understatement.
The UFC featherweight has loved fighting ever since he was a kid, eventually turning that passion into a professional mixed martial arts career in 2009, but deep down, the 33-year-old still loves a good ol’ fashioned fistfight.
“I just love to fight,” Fili said. “I’ve loved to fight since I was a kid; I love fighting, I love fist fighting. I love getting in fights and I love martial arts because they’re not separate, but it’s sort of two sides of the same coin. I love martial arts, I love the discipline, I love the respect, I love the art of fighting, but I also just love to get into a fistfight. I love spitting blood, talking s***, having fun and hearing the crowd scream. The dichotomy between those two, that’s MMA. It’s a perfect encapsulation of both those things.”
Fili found that perfect balance in December, when he stopped Lucas Almeida in the first round at UFC 296: Edwards vs Covington. Seconds into the fight, Fili found his flow state. Pairing gamesmanship with perfect technique, Fili picked apart Almeida until landing a thunderous right hand to close the show in three-and-a-half minutes.
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“It was a great performance,” Fili said. “I’m very grateful to get out there and perform. I wouldn’t say it was perfect. I don’t know if I’ll ever look at one of my own fights and say ‘perfect’ because there’s always room for improvement. I always want to be better. It doesn’t have to be perfect. I loved it and I enjoyed being there and it felt incredible. So, yeah, maybe not perfect but still a great time, and the best part is you get to improve on it the next time.”
Before his fight against Almeida, Fili said he was entering a new era called “Andre Fili 2.0,” a refined version of himself that pushes aside mental blocks weighing him down, preventing him from reaching his full potential.
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Fili delivered on his promised, and then some. All that’s left to do now is channel that same energy every time he steps into the Octagon.
“I think the key to replicating performances like that and success overall is being authentic, letting my core values drive me,” Fili said. “I’m not caught up in the outside, external stuff. I’m here to fight, I’m here to have fun and I’m here to enjoy it and make a bunch of money and make people proud. I’m here to represent the people I love, and that’s enough for me. I’m in love with fighting and getting to go perform. I think just removing a lot of the external distractions and letting my core values drive me. As long as I’m myself, as long as I’m authentic and true to myself, everything else will fall into place.”
Andre Fili Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Pyfer
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Andre Fili Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Pyfer
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When looking ahead to the rest of 2024, Fili has four goals in mind: go undefeated, fight four times, make a bunch of money and take care of the people who love and support him. The core of his support system trains alongside him at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California. Fili joined the world-renowned gym when he was 19 years old and hasn’t looked back since.
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“Being at Team Alpha Male has been a huge part of my life,” Fili said. “I think it probably saved my life as a kid. I was getting in a lot of trouble, and I wasn’t making a lot of good choices. Getting around guys like Urijah Faber, Danny Castillo, Joseph Benavidez and all these guys that are so focused and so professional, you are who you hang out with, right? So, being around those guys really positively affected my life. It’s a family. That’s a platitude that gets thrown around all the time, but it’s not hyperbole, it’s real. Those guys are my family. I’ve spent holidays at Faber’s house, I’ve celebrated birthdays with Danny Castillo. I love those guys, they’re my brothers. It’s something that I hold really close to my heart.”
After his fight in December, Fili wanted to keep his momentum going and get back into the Octagon by March. In January, Fili was offered to step in on short notice to fight Top 15 featherweight Dan Ige at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Pyfer on Saturday, February 10.
While it’s a very quick turnaround, a short notice fight has its own list of challenges, just like a full, 12-week camp, so the chance to crack into the 145-pound rankings was too great for Fili pass up.
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“These fights are obviously a chance to make money and build a legacy, but they’re also a chance for personal growth and development and to test yourself. If you’re not here to beat the best guys in the world at the drop of a hat, then what are you doing? That’s the opportunity I saw, and I took it.
“I’m going to be the one to get my hand raised on Saturday because I have so many tools, I have such a dangerous arsenal [and] I’m dangerous everywhere. There isn’t a part of the fight where I can’t finish my opponent. I’m going to be hunting that finish and I’m going to be in that flow state. When I’m in my flow state, I’m the best in the world.”
UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Pyfer took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 10, 2024. See the Final Main Card & Prelim Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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