A prototypical veteran versus rising star match-up headlined UFC Vegas 114 on Saturday, with featherweight Josh Emmett looking to fend off the surging Kevin Vallejos.
Vallejos had earned his first UFC main event assignment by putting away Giga Chikadze last time out; Emmett was looking to snap a two-fight skid and at 41 had become the “old man” of the 145lb weight class.
In the opening moments of the round, Emmett stayed at range, probing around the outside of the octagon. Vallejos quickly started landing as Emmett stepped into the pocket, countering the 41-year-old veteran with short hooks and elbows.
Vallejos began punishing Emmett on the inside, mixing in an assortment of hooks and uppercuts, landing right on the button to drop the American early in round one for the first time.
It was as if, with every strike Vallejos landed, he became more powerful and more in the zone. The head movement of Vallejos was uber impressive, slipping in and out of the way of Emmett’s strikes before eventually landing two hooks that sent Emmett falling back onto the cage, waiting for his demise.
The Argentinian striker continued to pour on the volume against the injured Emmett before two flush knees from Kevin Vallejos finally forced referee Herb Dean to stop the fight.
Following a statement finish, Kevin Vallejos is on his way up the rankings, moving to 18-1-0 and 4-0-0 in the UFC. On the other side, it has now been three losses in a row since Josh Emmett knocked out Bryce Mitchell. A difficult truth for the 41-year-old veteran, who drops to 19-7-0 and 10-7-0 in the UFC.
Official Results: Kevin Vallejos def. Josh Emmett via R1 TKO, 3:33