Andre Fili‘s early life was a traumatic one. The Washington native started off his life in a broken home, with a father who was frequently in jail and would beat his mother when he was at home. This, according to ‘Touchy’, is what started him off on a very dangerous path. To vent out his frustration and trauma, the UFC featherweight started seeking trouble, getting into street fights. Fili, fortunately, found mixed martial arts which helped him channel his trauma more productively.

In 2019, at the age of 19, shortly after being placed on house arrest after a particularly violent brawl, the featherweight resolved to make a change in his life and moved to Sacramento to train at the ‘Team Alpha Malr’ gym. Now, in sharp contrast to his early life, he has found stability and support at home with his long-time girlfriend. And as he gears up to face Cub Swanson on the preliminary card of UFC 303 on June 29, we take a look at who his girlfriend is.

Meet Melissa Renee, Andre Fili’s partner: What does she do?

Andre Fili is currently dating Melissa Renee. While it is not known where or when the couple met, they have been together for the past eight years, having started dating in 2016, and regularly appear in each other’s social media posts. Renee is a fitness influencer and enthusiast. Not only is she passionate about her own health, but she has turned it into a profession, as she is the founder and owner of ‘Fit Within’, a fitness and wellness company that offers personalized workout regimens, meal plans, and personalized support tailored to each individual.

On her website, the fitness instructor revealed what her program is all about, and what she aims to achieve with her clients. “My goal is simple: inspire, encourage, and help others reach their full potential, find their inner strength physically and mentally, and guide them to living their happiest and healthiest life,” Renee wrote.

While the couple seem to love each other very much, regularly flaunting each other on their respective social media handles, they underwent some hard times two years back.

When an unfortunate tragedy struck Andre Fili and his girlfriend

Andre Fili and his Melissa Renee suffered a devastating loss in 2022, as their unborn child died during his fight camp for his UFC Fight Night Vegas 60 bout against Bill Algeo. After defeating the latter via a split decision, ‘Touchy’ opened up about the loss in an emotional post-fight octagon interview with Daniel Cormier.

“Man, I went through so much this camp. Anybody you this fight, anybody you see in this cage is one percent of their story. It took me so much just to get here. Even though his last eight weeks, I lost so much. I lost ah..I can’t even talk about man. I lost a baby. It would have been my first kid and four weeks into this fight. I just wanna dedicate this fight to whoever they would have been, I love you so much,” a visibly shaken Fili told ‘DC’.

The death of a child is perhaps the most difficult thing any human can go through. But the fact that Fili didn’t pull out of the bout shows just how dedicated and committed he is to the sport. The effect the tragedy had on him was clear in the interview, as he professed his undying love for his deceased unborn baby and dedicated the win over Algeo to them.

Fili is now set to move ahead in his career as he will take on Cub Swanson at UFC 303. What are your predictions for the bout? Let us know in the comments.