Andre Fili says he is still learning as he heads into his fight with Kai Kamaka III at UFC Vegas 122. The 36-year-old veteran will compete for the 41st time in his career on Saturday, and he arrives on a two-fight losing streak.
On Wednesday, Fili said he never reaches the point where he believes he has learned everything, which is the sharpest difference he sees between himself and older fighters from his own generation. That outlook is now carrying him into a bout that puts his experience and adaptability under pressure.
Wednesday and Fili's approach
"What sets me apart from a lot of the guys that are of my generation is they hit a place where they feel they've learned everything there is to learn," Fili said during Wednesday's media day. He immediately drew the contrast that defines his camp: "I never hit that place. I'm always learning. I'm training with guys who are 19, 20, 21-year-old competition purple belt jiu-jitsu guys, coming up with new sh*t every day. I'm training with young, high-level boxers. I'm training with guys that are in the top of their field, that are a decade younger than me. I turned 36 a few months ago, but I still feel like a kid."
That is not a generic veteran speech. It gives Fili a reason to keep changing what he does while some fighters settle into habit, and it explains why he sounds willing to meet Kamaka with more than one route to victory.
Kai Kamaka III at UFC Vegas 122
Fili said, "I'm focused on going out and performing to my highest potential," and he paired that with a short list of outcomes he would accept on Saturday. "If that manifests in a very fast knockout, that would be cool. And if that manifests in a really exciting three-round war, that'll be cool. I've got a really sick submission game, too, and nobody has ever seen it. So maybe we'll see it Saturday. They're all good options."
The line about a submission game nobody has seen in the UFC is the most useful clue in his comments. Fili is not just talking about surviving another appearance; he is saying he may be able to force Kamaka to solve a version of his game that has not been on display in the UFC before.
Fili's 41st fight
Kai Kamaka III is coming off a loss and is set to make his third UFC appearance, which makes Saturday a quick test of whether he can reset against a veteran who has spent more than a decade in the UFC. Fili's two-fight losing streak adds real friction to the matchup, because a fighter can preach patience only so long before the record demands a result.
13-0 Luke Riley vs. Kai Kamaka III made official at Friday weigh-ins sits in the wider orbit around this bout, but Fili's own task is simpler: turn learning into offense. If the submission work he described is real enough to matter, Saturday is the night to show it.
