LAS VEGAS – He’s admittedly had ups and downs throughout his career, but Andre Fili left the cage on a high note at UFC 296.
In what was his first finish since July 2019, Fili (22-10 MMA, 10-9 UFC) finished Lucas Almeida (14-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) with a swarm Saturday at T-Mobile. The featherweight bout was the second fight on the prelims and ended at 3:32 of Round 1.
A beautiful and powerful right hand dropped Almeida and charged up Fili for an energetic flurry of punches until referee Jason Herzog dove in. While Almeida was still conscious, Almeida absorbed dozens of shots and struggled to get out from under Fili.
After the fight, Fili got emotional while talking to Joe Rogan during his in-cage interview. He talked about multiple personal losses, including having to recently put his dog down.
ANDRE FILI WITH A NASTY RIGHT HAND 💥
Stream #UFC296 on ESPN2 and ESPN+ 🍿 https://t.co/R7p1InbYK6 pic.twitter.com/jBpJQ5U5Sl
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 17, 2023
Fili has now won two of his most recent three fights. Conversely, Almeida falls into a two-fight skid.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 296 results include:
- Andre Fili def. Lucas Almeida via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:32
- Shamil Gaziev def. Martin Buday via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:56
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
