SOURCE: MMAJUNKIE – It looked like Max Holloway and Andre Fili would go the distance, but in the waning moments of their third round together, Holloway pulled a trick out of his bag
After rocking Fili with punches, Holloway used a takedown attempt to secure a guillotine choke for a third-round tapout.
The featherweight bout took place at today’s UFC 172 event at Maryland’s Baltimore Arena. It aired on the pay-per-view main card following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.
The official time of stoppage was at the 3:39 mark of the frame, when Fili frantically tapped to the choke as he attempted to roll away and found himself unable to escape.
Holloway had repeatedly come out ahead in striking exchanges, forcing Fili to shoot for a takedown, where he found little success in making up the deficit on the feet. Holloway was the fresher man as the fight went into deep water and gradually wore down the highly touted Team Alpha Male product.
Holloway (9-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) now owns back-to-back wins in the UFC after a pair of setbacks to Dennis Bermudez and Conor McGregor, respectively, halted his momentum at featherweight. Fili (13-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) suffers his first octagon defeat after a debut win over Jeremy Larsen at UFC 166.