LAS VEGAS – If Kevin Vallejos had some names on the tip of his tongue, they never were spoken during his UFC Fight Night 269 in-cage interview.
For now, Vallejos (18-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is keeping his desired matchmaking to himself. But in a day and age of trash talk and name-calling, why didn’t Vallejos want to further the buzz after he crushed Josh Emmett in a little over three minutes Saturday? Well, Vallejos is trying to keep himself grounded.
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“I wouldn’t say a name because I want to improve,” Vallejos told MMA Junkie and other reporters through a Spanish-language interpreter at a post-fight news conference. “I want to get better. There are things I want to work in camp. Little by little, I think I can give more than I gave tonight. I think I have much more to give and I want to make sure that I’m prepared for that, so I’ll take on any challenge that’s given to me.”
It’s unknown exactly where Vallejos will land in the promotion’s rankings in the coming days. But as it stands, there are only four fighters in front of him that don’t have a fight booked. One is champion Alexander Volkanovski. The other three are more realistic options: Yair Rodriguez, Brian Ortega and Jean Silva, who is the only man to hold a win over Vallejos.
“Any of those four names would be good,” Vallejos said. “Obviously with Volk being the champion, I think a fight against Yair or Brian would be great. I think those would be great fights. And everybody knows about the history with Jean Silva. It’ll be a great fight, but I’ll tell you what: I root for the guy. I want him really to get the title so I can have a rematch against him for that belt. That’s what I would like. We’re going to be crossing paths sooner or later, but if the UFC wants us to face before it, that’d be great.
Regardless of who’s next, Vallejos is living the dream – one he never thought would be possible. Saturday’s performance at the Meta APEX was his big breakthrough by many accounts. Until the phone rings with his next matchup, Vallejos is content just enjoying it.
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“I’m already living my dream,” Vallejos said. “The dream was pretty much accomplished at one point, when I knew I was on my way to it and my dream was coming true. My manager looked at me and said, ‘Listen, what do you want next?’ I said, ‘Give me a fight overseas. Give me fights out there.’ I wanted to do that, and here I am fighting in the United States for the greatest organization in the world. I have accomplished a lot. Just to be here, to me, is something that I didn’t even think (possible) in this or 10,000 other lives. I’m very happy to be where I am.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Kevin Vallejos explains lack of callout after UFC Vegas 114
