Andre Fili Earns Controversial Split Decision Win over Dennis Bermudez

Andre Fili escaped with a split decision victory in his co-main event fight against Dennis Bermudez but not without a few eyebrows being raised at the result.

While Fili managed more takedowns and definitely showed some solid striking on the feet, Bermudez out landed him dramatically in striking totals while doing more damage over the course of three rounds. Still, two judges gave the nod to Fili, which earned him the victory on Saturday night.

While Bermudez is best known for his high paced grappling attack in many of his fights, he was forced to look for a striking attack as Fili did an admirable job stuffing his takedowns throughout all three rounds.

On the flipside, Fili was able to take Bermudez down numerous times over the course of the fight but unfortunately he couldn’t do much with him on the ground before the fighters worked their way back to the feet.

With his wrestling attack not working, Bermudez changed course by attacking Fili’s lead leg with a series of brutal kicks that continued to target his calf over and over again. By the third round, Bermudez had landed more than 25 leg strikes as he continued to punish Fili during almost every exchange.

Fili did a good job to counter those leg kicks with a stiff jab that he fed to Bermudez all night long but it wasn’t enough to fend off the attacks from a competitor best known for his aggressive offense.

Bermudez powered through Fili’s punches while continuously diving inside to land his power shots, eventually busting up the Team Alpha Male fighter’s nose. With time ticking away, Bermudez finally landed a takedown of his own as he tried to land a few final punches and elbows before the horn sounded to signify the end of the fight.

When it was over, the scorecards read 29-28 two times for Fili with the third coming back 30-27 for Bermudez.

"SHOUT OUT TO ALL MY USOS!"

Andre Fili pulls off the upset with the win over Dennis Bermudez! #UFCCharlotte https://t.co/01WE1vN9s2

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) January 28, 2018

It was definitely a battle through all 15 minutes but the final decision was still a bit of a head scratcher when it was over. The win does give Fili back to back victories for the first time in his UFC career.