Andre Fili needed a statement, and he delivered one in the most violent way possible. On the main card of UFC Vegas 122, the veteran featherweight met Kai Kamaka III and ended the fight with a head kick that put Kamaka to sleep just 22 seconds into the second round.

called it a savage finish and noted that Fili more than likely just picked up an extra $100,000 for the performance.

It capped a back-and-forth opening round before Fili found the finishing shot early in round two. reported that current and former UFC fighters reacted to the knockout online, impressed by the head kick itself.

For Kamaka, it is a rough turn after returning to the UFC for a second stint. He had posted a 1-1 record since coming back earlier this year following stops in Bellator and the PFL, and this loss halts any momentum he was building back inside the Octagon.

For Fili, the win is a much needed building block. Our own Elo model has him sitting at 1477 across eight tracked bouts, and a highlight reel finish like this one should only help his standing as he looks to string wins together again at featherweight.

The knockout has already made its way around r/MMA, where a thread dedicated to the Fili-Kamaka fight has fans dissecting the finish. Whatever the consensus ends up being, the clip of that head kick is going to be replayed for a while, and Fili has himself a signature moment to show for it.