At UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas on October 10, 2026, Andre Fili showed how to set up a head kick. He finished Kai Kamaka III with one Rear High Round Kick, 22 seconds into the second round.
Kamaka never saw it coming, because he was busy watching Fili’s hands.
Click either time stamp below, and the video in the post jumps to that moment.
The Fight: Andre Fili vs. Kai Kamaka III
Watch the kick: 0:52 · Slow motion: 1:13
Video: UFC on Paramount+ YouTube channel.
This was not a veteran beating a beginner, because both men have spent most of their lives in combat sports.
Andre Fili made his UFC debut in 2013. Going into this fight, he trained with Team Alpha Male in California and had 10 wins by knockout. He likes to mix his punches and kicks from different angles.
Kai Kamaka III comes from a fighting family in Hawaii. He had his first kickboxing fight at 8 years old. He is a boxer at heart, a forward-moving fighter who likes to press and throw combinations. Before this fight, he had competed in the UFC, Bellator and the PFL, and he reached the PFL featherweight semifinals in 2024.
The first round was close, and both men landed clean shots. Then, early in Round 2, Fili found his opening.
How Fili Set Up a Head Kick
All Fili did was throw three things:
- Lead Hook (left hand)
- Fake Rear Cross (right hand)
- Rear High Round Kick (right leg) to the back of the head
The Lead Hook got Kamaka’s attention. Then Fili started a Rear Cross, and Kamaka’s eyes and hands went to the punch.
But the Rear Cross was a fake. Fili turned it into a Rear High Round Kick that came around Kamaka’s guard and landed on the back of his head.
To Kamaka, the start of the kick looked just like a punch.
Why Punches Hide Your Kicks
This is one of the oldest ideas in Muay Thai: throwing punches disguises your kicks.
A punch pulls your opponent’s eyes and hands up and to the middle. While they are covering up, the side and back of the head open. A kick that starts like a punch arrives before they can reset.
Fili’s knockout wasn’t luck. The fake Rear Cross made Kamaka defend a punch that never came, and the kick landed where his guard wasn’t.
It’s also a good reminder that experienced fighters get caught too. Kamaka had years of striking behind him and knew how to defend himself. Timing and setup beat him, not a lack of skill.
For another fight where punches hid the kick, read how Miguel Trindade set up his Inside Low Kick.
To see how Leg Kicks, Body Kicks and Head Kicks set each other up, read my post on Muay Thai Round Kicks in ONE Championship.
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