Kevin Vallejos wants to be the first to put the lights out on Danny Silva.
Danny Silva has never been knocked out in his pro MMA career, and Kevin Vallejos has every intention of changing that.
Vallejos (15-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Silva (10-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) meet in a featherweight bout at UFC on ESPN 71 (ESPN, ESPN+), which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It’s a matchup many fans have circled on the card, given both fighters’ styles. Vallejos, who’s developing into a fan favorite knockout artist in the UFC, can’t wait to test his power on Silva’s chin.
“I know that I can knock him out, and I will do it on Saturday,” Vallejos told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. “I know I can knock him out, like I have with other people, who at the time had never been knocked out. This won’t be an exception.”
To some, Vallejos’ confidence in getting the knockout may seem like he’s overlooking Silva, but that’s not the case.
“It’s a tough fight,” Vallejos explained. “I feel like this is a new experience. He’s got good boxing, good kicks, good clinch, and wrestling. I think he’s going to test me and put me in a spot where I have to show my talent.”
Despite getting a brutal, first-round KO in his UFC debut this past March, “El Chino” was left without a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. He’s hoping to get his this time around with the type of knockout he plans on delivering.
“This time it’s not getting away,” Vallejos said when asked about the bonus. “Last time, we had seven finishes in one night. I don’t think I can have that bad luck again and be in a card with that many finishes. This time it will be mine.”
