Kevin Vallejos is for real.
In the UFC Fight Night 269 main event Saturday, Vallejos (18-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) ran through perennial contender Josh Emmett. He punched his way to a first-round knockout stoppage at the 3:33 mark. The featherweight bout headlined the card at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
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Vallejos, 24, first connected flush with a big right hand in an exchange where both guys had opened up. Emmett worked his way back to his feet, though he absorbed dozens of punches along the way. Turtled up against the fence, Emmett tried one big overhand bomb but wiped out. Back up, he retreated to the fence again. This time, Vallejos didn’t let him off the hook – until referee Herb Dean did.
After the fight, Vallejos declined to make a callout. But with a top-10 promotional ranking likely coming his way, Vallejos has aligned himself for a major fight next time out. Prior to the win over Emmett, he finished Giga Chikadze with a spinning back elbow and punches. His only career loss came when he fought Jean Silva on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023.
Emmett, 41, falls into a three-fight skid including back-to-back first-round stoppage losses. A Team Alpha Male staple, Emmett took his gloves off in the cage post-fight but did not make a retirement announcement.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 269 results:
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Kevin Vallejos def. Josh Emmett via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:33
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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Vegas 114 results: Kevin Vallejos quickly demolishes Josh Emmett
