UFC featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski says that he has been very impressed by rising young star Kevin Vallejos.
Just 24 years of age, Vallejos is a top featherweight prospect out of Argentina who is already 4-0 in the UFC since joining the promotion just last year. He previously competed twice on Dana White’s Contender Series, losing a decision to Jean Silva in 2023 and then earning a UFC contract with a knockout win over Cam Teague in 2024.
Next month at UFC Qatar, Vallejos gets the biggest fight of his life when he battles former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling in a fight that could propel him to the featherweight division’s elite.
Kevin Vallejos Impressing Alex Volkanovski
Speaking to MMAjunkie.com ahead of his upcoming UFC featherweight title defense against Movsar Evloev at UFC 333, Volkanovski heaped praise upon Vallejos for what he’s done so far during his short career inside the Octagon.
“After Movsar, you’ve got your Jean Silvas, you’ve got your Aljamain (Sterlings), who are both pretty much in the exact same position. They’re the ones who stand out the most right now. … That’s another one – (Kevin Vallejos) there. So whether Kevin can get a title fight that quick and jump the line, I don’t know,” Volkanovski said.
“At the same time, Aljamain and Silva, they’re probably closest. But Kevin, he’s definitely someone – this is a test for him. You see a lot of guys who look good until they fight a veteran with fight IQ that’s calculated. Kevin is going to have a tough one here, but if he proves himself, he’s going to show that he deserves to be at the top.”
Who Will Get the Next Featherweight Title Shot?
Most likely, the next man in line for Volkanovski — should he get past Evloev this weekend — will be Silva, but Vallejos could very well steal the next title shot with an impressive win against Sterling.
If Vallejos can go into Qatar and finish Sterling, it would go a long way towards cementing himself as the next UFC featherweight title challenger, though Sterling will do his best to make sure that doesn’t happen.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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