Quebec’s Charles (Air) Jourdain loses close decision on UFC fight card

LAS VEGAS — Andre (Touchy) Fili won a split decision over Quebec featherweight Charles (Air) Jourdain in a close fight on the undercard of a UFC Fight Night card Saturday.

The judges scored it 28-29, 29-28, 29-28 for the American.

Jourdain, a 24-year-old from Beloeil, Que., had a good start, lashing Fili’s body with kicks. Fili started to find his range but ended on the canvas when Jourdain nailed him with a left to the head with some 90 seconds remaining in the first round,

Fili (21-7-0) slammed Jourdain down to the ground late in the round.

Jourdain (10-3-0) scored with leg kicks in the second round, often connecting with Fili’s arms. Fili kept moving forward and was more aggressive as the round wore on, taking Jourdain down.

Fili kept the pressure up in the third, taking Jourdain down with three minutes remaining. The Canadian fought his way back to his feet and the fight ended with a good exchange and Fili scoring another late takedown.

The 29-year-old Fili, who was two inches taller at five foot 11, had a five-inch each advantage over Jourdain.

Jourdain was coming off a second-round stoppage of (The Korean Superboy) Dooho Choi in December. Fili lost a decision to 15th-ranked (Super) Sodiq Yusuff last time out.

The main event at the UFC’s Apex production facility pitted Jessica (Evil) Eye, ranked No. 1 among flyweight contenders, against Cynthia Calvillo, rated 10th among strawweight contenders.

A two-division champion in the Montreal-based TKO promotion prior to joining the UFC, Jourdain was originally signed to fight on the June 20 UFC card in Saskatoon that was cancelled due to the global pandemic.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2020.

The Canadian Press