Andre Fili Snaps Skid With a Brutal Head-Kick KO at UFC Vegas 122

Andre Fili needed this one, and he got it in the most emphatic way possible. After a back-and-forth opening round against fellow featherweight veteran Kai Kamaka III at UFC Vegas 122 on Saturday, Fili landed a head kick that put Kamaka out cold and sent the Meta APEX into a frenzy.

The finish snapped a two-fight skid for "Touchy" and delivered his first Octagon win since a split-decision verdict over Christian Rodriguez in April 2025. It also moved his UFC ledger back above the break-even line to 14-13 with one no-contest, lifting his overall record to 25-14. His previous outing was a second-round TKO loss to Vinicius Oliveira, so this was about as clean a reset as a 10-KO finisher could ask for.

Kamaka, meanwhile, is headed the other direction. His second run with the promotion now sits at 1-2, and both losses have come by stoppage. Back-to-back finishes are a rough stretch for anyone trying to carve out a spot at 145 pounds.

The Reaction

The knockout drew praise from fighters past and present, who flooded social media with reactions to the timing and technique of the kick. The phrase "classy move" made the rounds, which tells you everything about how the combination was set up before Fili uncorked the finish.

For Fili, the value here goes beyond the highlight reel. At 36 appearances deep in the UFC, veterans don't get endless chances to reverse a slide. A spectacular knockout buys goodwill, keeps the paychecks coming, and reminds matchmakers he can still swing a fight in a single sequence.

The win landed on a card headlined by a middleweight bout with real stakes, as #4-ranked Brendan Allen (27-7) met #10 Christian Leroy Duncan (15-2) in the main event. But on a night built around the title picture at 185, it was the featherweight on the undercard who delivered the loudest moment of the evening.