LONDON – If it seems like Andre Fili has been around the UFC forever, it’s because he practically has.
Fili has been in the UFC for nearly 10 years – which is a lifetime for some fighters in MMA. Despite pockets of extended success – he won four of five with a split decision loss over a two-year period from 2017-2019 – he’s had his share of up-and-down runs.
But even at 33, Fili said he still is growing in the sport.
“It’s a weird thing – it doesn’t feel like 10 years,” Fili said at Thursday’s media day for UFC Fight Night 224 in London. “You just wake up one day and you’ve been doing it for 10 years. I think the secret is just really doing what you love, being passionate about what you love, staying young at heart.”
Fili (22-9 MMA, 10-8 UFC) takes on England’s own Nathaniel Wood (19-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) on Saturday in an featured featherweight bout on ESPN+ at The O2 in London. This past September, Fili took a split call from Bill Algeo for his first win since June 2020.
But at this stage of his career, while wins always are of peak importance, Fili said continuing to get better and learn new things is what will lead to those wins, to begin with.
“I’m also a student. I’m always learning,” Fili said. “I learned from guys who are younger than me. I learned from guys who are older than me. I learned from guys who are retired. I learned from guys who aren’t even in the UFC yet. I learned from everyone. I’m a student and I don’t think of myself like this 10-year veteran. I’m not in my head when I think of myself. I’m not a 33-year-old guy who’s done this forever and has all the answers and has been through everything twice.
“I’m still 23 (in my mind). I’m still new. I still have a lot to prove. I’m still excited and young. This is my mentality: I don’t feel 33. I don’t feel like a 10-year veteran. I feel like a young, hungry kid. I just love this sh*t. I think when you do what you love, you can do it forever.”
All Fili has to do is point to other fighters around him who are well past his 33 trips around the sun for the confidence he can do this a while longer.
“Jim Miller looks the best he’s ever looked. Dustin Poirier looks the best he’s ever looked,” Fili said. “Glover Teixeira just won a belt at 42. You guys might be stuck with me for another 10 years. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve been in the UFC 10 years, but I’m only 33. You guys are stuck with me. I love this sport. I ain’t going anywhere. I think that’s part of the longevity is just that I really love this sh*t, and there’s nothing else I would rather do.”
Check out Fili’s full UFC Fight Night 224 media day interview in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.
