The Ultimate Fighting Championship has found a replacement for its lost co-headliner on Feb. 10.
MMA Junkie first broke the news on Friday that Andre Fili (23-10, 1 NC) would be stepping in for Lerone Murphy at UFC Fight Night 236 on Feb. 10. The veteran featherweight will be facing Dan Ige (17-7) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on that date, likely still in the co-main event slot. This pairing has since been confirmed by other outlets.
“Touchy” Fili returned to the win column in December by knocking out Lucas Almeida in the first round at UFC 296. The Team Alpha Male product has not put a win or losing streak together since 2019 when he won two straight against Myles Jury and Sheymon Moraes. As he has pinballed around the featherweight ladder, Fili has beaten the likes of Bill Algeo and Charles Jourdain but come up short against names like Nathaniel Wood and Bryce Mitchell.
Hawaii’s Ige saw his own win streak come to a close in September 2023 when Mitchell picked up a decision over him. Ige had gained some momentum and a number next to his name by sparking Damon Jackson and then outworking Nate Landwehr in 2023. Before the win over Jackson, Ige dropped three straight, suffering decision losses to Chan Sung Jung, Josh Emmett and Movsar Evloev. Despite the setbacks, “50K” has still never been finished as a pro.
UFC Fight Night 236 goes down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Feb. 10, with the main attraction seeing Jack Hermansson throw down against Joseph Pyfer at middleweight. Other matchups on the billing include a pair of 185-pound tilts as Robert Bryczek takes on Albert Duraev, while Brad Tavares and Gregory Rodrigues test one another’s chins. Additionally, Rodolfo Vieira and Armen Petrosyan will try to handle their business, with the match also taking place at middleweight.
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