Ige-Fili Could be the bout of Sunday’s UFC Fight Night 

MANILA, Philippines – Dan Ige versus Andre Fili.

The co-main event of UFC Fight Night on Sunday, February 11, is an intriguing one.

Both fighters are friendly with one another; a mutual admiration society if you will. Both have had similar careers in the UFC — a roller-coaster ride of wins alternating with losses ad infinitum. 

Both are strikers who struggle once the fight goes to the canvas. 

They are hoping to win and find that consistency that is so difficult in this sport.

“Yes, I know it is disappointing,” explained Ige of the alternating wins and losses. The 17-7-0 featherweight is coming off a disappointing loss to Bryce Mitchell in September of last year. That halted a reinvigorated career where he won two straight after dropping three consecutive matches all via unanimous decision.

“With every fight, it is all about working on the small things and improving every aspect of my game,” added the 32-year old Hawaii native. “But I feel good heading into this fight.”

Although it is just trivia, Ige is 3-1 whenever he fights in January and February.

“No statistic is going to give me a win. I need to go out and get it,” said Ige.

Meanwhile, the 33-year old Fili is 33-10 but is coming off a huge knockout win where he dropped Lucas Almeida with one punch in their December 16 bout last year. He didn’t work out a sweat, which is why he is fighting so soon.

“This fight has the potential to be the ‘Fight of the Night’ because we will be throwing missiles at each other,” pointed out Ige. “We might have this admiration for each other’s fighting, but make no mistake, once we are in their, it is every man for himself.”

The Ige-Fili match precedes the main event of middleweights Jack Hermansson and Joe Fryer.

“It’s a new year and it would be nice to get a win to start some good vibes the rest of the way,” summed up Ige. “This is a stern test.

The UFC card televised live in the Philippines at 8 a.m. on the Premier Sports Channel on Sky Cable and Cignal as well as on the Blast TV streaming app.