In just his fourth UFC appearance, Kevin Vallejos steps into his first UFC main event this Saturday.
The exciting featherweight prospect faces Josh Emmett in the UFC Vegas 114 headliner at the Meta APEX. Following his highlight-reel victory over Giga Chikadze at UFC Vegas 112 this past December, Vallejos called for a fight against Cub Swanson – which led to a bit of backlash from the fan base considering Swanson isn’t ranked, and his career is officially winding down.
Vallejos was asked about the reaction from the fan base, and explained why he felt the callout was more than fair.
“I heard stuff, but like, it wasn’t a problem if you think about it,” Vallejos told MMA Fighting. “I mean, I know he’s not in the top of the division, but we’re talking about a guy that I think is being underestimated by people. We’re talking about a guy that actually beat Charles Olivera, and I think that… first of all, I’m not in any rush to be in the top and I wanted to fight against a guy that has experience, that has seen some things, [who] actually knows how to, to manage a fight and how to conduct himself inside the octagon.
“So it’s someone who’s, again, experienced and someone that I can take very good lessons [from]t. So that’s why I had that name.”
While Vallejos didn’t get Swanson, he did get a past- interim title challenger in Emmett – who is currently on a two-fight skid, and has dropped four of his past five. In his most recent appearance, Emmett was submitted quickly by Youssef Zalal at UFC 320 this past October.
When the 24-year-old Vallejos received the name, he didn’t hesitate to say yes, but he also understands the potential dangers in front of him.
“Listen, besides being a fighter, I’m a UFC fan as well,” Vallejos said. “So when I got that name, Josh, I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s a tough challenge in front of me right there.’
“If you think about the guy, he is a tough fighter, somebody who’s experienced, he’s been around the block. Yeah, he’s coming off some losses in recent fights, but if you look at who he fought, I mean, he’s fought the best up there, not just those who actually became [champions and] fought for the championship, but also those are on top of the division. So I’m very excited about the opportunity, very happy to have a fighter like him and ready for a challenge like that.”
Emmett believes the UFC made the matchup so they could try and enhance Vallejos’ stock – especially as a Contender Series alum and contract winner. The 41-year-old called it a “must-win” fight considering his recent run.
Vallejos was asked how he would handle, at such a young age in the sport, potentially being the guy who ended Emmett’s decade-long run with the promotion.
“That’s not something I’d like to think about,” Vallejos explained. “I don’t like that because, obviously, I got a career in front of me and it’s my job. This is what I’m here to do. I’m a fighter. I’m here to take on fights, and I understand that he’s got a lot of time under his belt, but I have so much more in front of me. I understand that this is what we trained for. This is what we want; we want to be a fighter in the UFC. You’re going to train for this, you’re going to get hard challenges.
“I’m 24 years old, right? So I have a lot more in front of me. So right now, all the pressure is on him. I’m the one that’s got so much more in my future.There’s many years ahead of me, so I feel that the pressure is all on him at this time.”
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