Josh Emmett: UFC pushing Kevin Vallejos ‘a little too fast’

Josh Emmett said his upcoming opponent is being advanced too quickly before their headliner at UFC Fight Night 269, underscoring the bout's experience gap. In an interview with UFC on Paramount, Emmett framed UFC Fight Night 269 at the Apex in Las Vegas as a test of experience against Kevin Vallejos. The matchup, Josh Emmett vs Kevin Vallejos, places the 41-year-old against a 24-year-old first-time headliner.Emmett (19-6; 10-6 UFC) cites years against elite names, including Calvin Kattar, Michael Johnson, Dan Ige, and Bryce Mitchell, and notes he went the distance with lightweight champion Ilia Topuria. He enters off losses to Lerone Murphy and Youssef Zalal. Vallejos (17-1) rebounded from a 2023 Contender Series loss to Jean Silva to earn a contract with a first-round KO of Cam Teague, then posted three UFC wins, most recently over Giga Chikadze.