LAS VEGAS – Andre Fili is well aware he's in the hurt business, but he doesn't find any joy in causing serious physical harm to his opponents.
After connecting with a well-placed head kick on Kai Kamaka III at UFC Fight Night 290, which resulted in one of the best knockouts of the year, Fili (26-14 MMA, 14-13 UFC) showed genuine concern for a fellow fighter with whom he shares mutual friends. After an initial celebration, Fili returned to Kamaka III (18-9-1 MMA, 2-4-1 UFC) to check on him.
"Kai's been in some wars. He's very tough, seems like a great dude," Fili told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. "We got a lot of mutual friends. I know he's like one of the guys in the gym that gives a lot of people problems. He's very good,
but I've been in the cage with Max Holloway. I've been in the cage with Cub Swanson. You know, I'm a motherf*cking dog, dog. I've been in there with everybody.
"I've been down, but I've never been out. So, you can give me Kai Kamaka, or you can give me whoever. I'm kind of past the point of giving anybody too much credit. That's not a disrespectful thing. It's just the reality like what one man can do, another man can do. I've been knocked out. You just saw me knock f*ck out of somebody."
Fili showed respect after the fight was officially stopped, but also in the moments right before. Fili connected the kick, which immediately stiffened Kamaka. Fili rushed in for a massive follow-up punch, like Dan Henderson to Michael Bisping, but he was present enough to see Kamaka III was out cold and pulled back before landing it.
When asked about that recognition, Fili explained that his goals center on winning fights, but he doesn't want to dish out unnecessary damage when possible.
"I say this all the time: I'm a criminal, but I'm not a piece of sh*t, you know what I mean?" Fili said. "I don't litter. I treat people with respect. When I knock someone out, there's no reason to land that extra shot. Like, he's got kids, he's got a wife. He's got a future outside of fighting. It's just not necessary, man. I hope he's OK. I didn't really even want to watch the replay back.
"You know, hurting people is part of the sport. I like being good at fighting. I like winning fights. I like getting paid to win fights. I like being on TV. Hurting people is a byproduct of that. It's not a driving force for me. So yeah, I'm not going to land that extra shot."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Andre Fili explains why he pulled back after stunning knockout of Kai Kamaka III
