Myles Jury and Andre Fili put on an action-packed, bloody, and downright fun performance at UFC Phoenix on Sunday, opening up the main card of the UFC’s debut on ESPN.
Andre Fili is a Team Alpha Male product who is looking to put all of it together in his 12th UFC appearance. The 28-year-old has struggled to find consistency in the Octagon, alternating wins and losses in his first nine UFC fights. He finally earned his first consecutive victory last year by defeating Artem Lobov in 2017 and scraping by Dennis Bermudez in a split decision victory. “Touchy” couldn’t maintain his momentum though, as he fell to Michael Johnson by split decision in his last bout.
Myles Jury first came onto the scene on the 15th season of The Ultimate Fighter, in which he lost to Al Iaquinta in his only fight in what ended up being named “Fight of the Season.” He won his first six fights in the UFC with notable victories over Diego Sanchez and Takanori Gomi. The Tristar Gym member’s momentum came to an end when he ran into Donald Cerrone, prompting a move to featherweight in 2015. Since then, he is 2-2, looking to rebound from a loss to the now-retired Chad Mendes.
It was Andre Fili holding center early and pressuring in the first main-card fight of UFC on ESPN 1. His movement was fluid, his jab frequent. A right hand touched Myles Jury a minute in. Jury would find himself bloodied, and this pairing proved to be a spirited one. Fili got the better of his opponent in the exchanges, soon having Jury damaged further. Yet Jury was no push-over, and answered back enough to have Fili retreating at times later in the round. Heading to the second, however, Fili had to be comfortable with how things were progressing.
The second saw Jury manage to keep Fili on the outside at times, but Fili was able to land low kicks, and continue to fire his jab. An overhand right connected for Jury, but he wasn’t throwing the same volume as his opponent. Fili, as well, had a slight edge in speed, but as the second round progressed, he was showing some damage as well.
Jury, however, took control in the final minute. Stepping in to launch a spinning back fist, he rocked Andre Fili! Fili hit the ground, and Jury got on top. He unleashed a flurry of blows, but Fili did manage to survive the knockdown.
With Jury possibly having stolen the second round with that late knockdown, the third was pivotal. Both fighters connected early, but again, the jab of Andre Fili, and the volume he was throwing, was the difference. The third round might have been a tad less active, but after three action-packed rounds, it was hard to find fault in the entertainment value of the fight. Going to the judges, Fili took the decision, as he should have.
Andre Fili def. Myles Jury by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
