LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag] showed he’s more than just a striker on Saturday by utilizing his ground game to score key points in a win over [autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag] at UFC 246.
Yusuff (11-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) netted a fourth consecutive victory to begin his octagon tenure when he out-struck and used superior grappling position over Fili (20-7 MMA, 8-6 UFC) to win a unanimous decision by scores of 29-28 across the board on Saturday.
The featherweight bout was part of the UFC 246 preliminary card at T-Mobile Arena. It aired on ESPN following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+ and ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.
Yusuff and Fili came out of the gate swinging fast and hard. Both men came close to landing devastating punches in the early moments before finally settling into a groove. Yusuff was sharper, though, causing some early swelling around the right eye of Fili. “Touchy” was the first to initiate the grappling, shooting and taking down Yusuff multiple times. He couldn’t keep him there, though, and Yusuff popped back up each time. Yusuff got top position of his own off a scramble and nearly locked in a kimura, but Fili managed to escape. Yusuff closed the round on top, finishing strong with solid ground-and-pound.
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Fili came out looking to make an impression in the second round, throwing hard leg kicks. Yusuff caught the second one and spilled Fili to the ground before establishing top position. He advanced position from on top and worked in timely strikes. After several minutes of keeping control, Yusuff advanced to mount. He couldn’t keep it there, though, because Fili bucked him off and stood up. Fili tried for to answer back with a takedown, but he couldn’t do anything effective before the end of the round.
With Yusuff seemingly in control going into the final frame, Fili picked up the pace on the feet and landed some of his best strikes of the fight against Yusuff, whose pace certainly slowed down in the later stages. But Yusuff avoided being hurt or taking dramatic damage to last until the final bell and take the decision.
“I was very surprised (he took my punches) because of the confidence I have in myself,” Yusuff said in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. “He’s been in the UFC since I started training full time. I watched him on TV, and I respect him a lot.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC 246 results include:
- Sodiq Yusuff def. Andre Fili via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Askar Askarov def. Tim Elliott via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Drew Dober def. Nasrat Haqparast via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:10
- Aleksa Camur def. Justin Ledet via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Sabina Mazo def. J.J. Aldrich via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)