Andre Fili won for the first time in almost two years this past weekend, and “Touchy” attributes his success to a shift in his outlook on the sport of mixed martial arts. Andre Fili discusses his mental shift before UFC Vegas 60 I’m enjoying life.
While many were anticipating great things from the then 23-year-old Fili when he made his UFC debut in 2013, he has fallen short. With a 10-8 record and 1 NC in 9 years in the UFC, Fili seemed revitalized after beating the highly rated Bill Algeo by decision at UFC Vegas 60.
Fili credited his recent positive approach to life and fighting for his recent success, as he explained on Wednesday’s episode of The MMA Hour.
When Asked About His Early Life, Fili Claims He Didn’t Get Much Love
Growing up, Fili says he didn’t experience much affection, but “nobody loves you the way they love you after you win a fight.”
For example: “You win a battle, and suddenly hundreds of total strangers want to give you bear hugs, lift you up, and tell you that you’re the man. That moment, around 30 seconds after a battle, when you’re the most popular person in the whole arena or room.
You are the guy, and everyone adores you, whether you’re performing in front of 30,000 people in a stadium or 3,000 people at a bingo hall at a Native American casino. As a youngster, I feel like I really wanted it.
Once upon a time, I sought these external validations, but now that I’m an adult (if I may use that term), I love myself and find satisfaction in internal validations, meaningful relationships, and wise decisions.
The mental discourse that I used to have with myself has been replaced. Now that I’ve made these changes, I no longer need to seek approval from others as much as I used to. Now, I want to win battles for better, deeper reasons.
It’s The First Time In My Life
For the first time in my life,” Fili went on, “I’m treating myself like a person whose happiness I am accountable for, treating myself like a person who genuinely deserves to be happy.”
“I’ve had a very low opinion of myself for most of my life. My inner monologue has been quite critical of me throughout my life, and I have spent a lot of time actively hating myself.
“I love myself a lot more [today], and as a result, I can love other people a lot more. I’ve become kinder, more empathic, and more compassionate as an adult than I was as a younger me.
I used to believe that being harsh and unfeeling was the only way to go ahead in life and work, but now I see that being tough and unfeeling is what helped me succeed then. I’ve finally found a location with a greater affection.
I have earned the right to be joyful and to be gentle with myself. I still don’t believe in overly celebrating tiny triumphs or making excuses for my shortcomings, and I continue to be a difficult, demanding individual to myself.
But I also know that it’s OK to adore oneself, to indulge oneself, and to treat oneself well. Even while Fili stresses the significance of self-love, he also emphasizes the significance of other life lessons.
Fili Made Mental Changes To Improve
To some extent, this included a fresh look at his feelings toward mixed martial arts. For his match against Algeo, Fili made several mental adjustments he felt would improve his play.
Aside from “having fun,” Fili argued that “this has been a significant missing element of it.” It was a great joy for me to act like a monster and kill people, spew blood, and fight for $1,000 in Indian casinos.
When I finally made it to the UFC, though, nobody cared until I was fighting Max, at which point the story abruptly shifted. Over however many years, I climbed and descended repeatedly.
As a result of this, I began to take MMA seriously, treating it like a career and modeling my behavior after that of “Mighty Mouse” (Demetrious Johnson) and “The Spider” (Anderson Silva) if I ever hoped to join them in the UFC Hall of Fame.
It was at that point that I decided to attempt to push the issue. Then I glanced at Danny Castillo, my trainer after the battle was over. As I left for the battle, I gave him a look and remarked, “We’ve done this every other way.”
Tonight, we’re going to let loose and have a good time. And I did it all while having a blast and feeling like I did a great job. I’m having fun again, and I want to keep doing so; as a result, you may expect some “special s***” from me from now on.
The end outcome is evident. At barely 32 years old, Fili looked better than ever when he defeated Algeo. As far as “Touchy” is concerned, he still has a lot to offer the mixed martial arts community.
Fili Stated
“I f****** love to fight,” Fili said. “The procedure isn’t always enjoyable for me. Unfortunately, I don’t usually like fight week, what with the media, the photographs, the f****** talking, and the silly, corny build-up that fans want. I don’t always like that kind of thing, but I do enjoy a good battle, a good fist fight, making my people proud, and generally enjoying the fact that I’m once again having a great time playing this f****** game. This is kind of like my marriage. Since I was 11 years old, I’ve been training in MMA, and I started competing at 14. I’m 32. My longest and the most stable relationship has had its ups and downs, but we’ve finally found a happy medium. Now that we’ve overcome our past traumas, we can finally take pleasure in this s***. I appreciate it very much. I’m really into this.
