More Illegal Back Of The Head Shots?

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 20: Andre Fili reacts after a TKO loss against Vinicius Oliveira of Brazil in a featherweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Meta APEX on June 20, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Just a couple days ago (Sat., June 20, 2026), UFC Featherweight veteran Andre Fili was stopped by Brazilian power puncher Vinicius Oliveira in the second round (watch here) at UFC Vegas 119.

The fight was competitive from the first bell. “Lokdog” pressured his opponent early and attacked the calf often, but Fili fired back with counter punches and a couple ripping body kicks that visibly hurt Oliveira. In the second round, Oliveira turned up the heat and was able to start hitting the body more often, leading to the finishing sequence in the final 10 seconds of the round.

The problem? For the second time in as many weeks, illegal shots to the back of the head seemingly played a role in the stoppage. Oliveira flurried heavily to end a very successful second frame, but it looked like Fili would see the bell … right up until a downward tomahawk elbow landed somewhere behind his ears, as did another followup elbow or two.

Fili’s bloody back of the head (pictured above) would seemingly serve as solid evidence of the foul.

After his loss, Andre Fili complained to Herb Dean that the elbows were to the back of the head.

Herb checked Fili’s head and was showing him replays with the commission watching pic.twitter.com/MQoc2KAyEt

— Alex Behunin (@AlexBehunin) June 21, 2026

On Monday, Fili vented his frustrations on social media.

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“Just gonna leave this here,” Fili wrote on his Instagram story, referencing a screenshot of an elbow landing near his neck. “Very clearly back of the head. This is the shot that dropped me. Not a clean shot, not a body punch. If this shot doesn’t happen — or is addressed by the referee — the fight goes to a third round. That’s my frustration, I wanted and deserved the chance to keep fighting.”

Alas, there is no amount of evidence — be it screenshots or literal scarring — that is likely to overturn any official’s decision in MMA. Fili has yet to formally appeal the call, but if he chooses to do so, it will be an uphill battle.

Hopefully, the extra $100k will serve as a decent consolation.

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