Kevin Vallejos is looking to avenge the only career loss that delayed his signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Vallejos earned his UFC contract on Tuesday with a first-round technical knockout win over previously unbeaten Cam Teague on Dana White’s Contender Series. This won’t be the Argentine prospect’s first appearance on the Contender Series, however. Vallejos suffered his only professional defeat in September 2023, a unanimous decision loss to winning-streak Jean Silva at UFC featherweight. Since then, Vallejos has racked up consecutive stoppage wins on the regional circuit to earn himself a second shot at the Contender Series, where he has impressed. “El Chino” is ready to face whoever UFC offers him in his debut, but hopes to one day get his chance at revenge against Silva.
“I’m an employee of this company and I’m willing to fight wherever they ask me. I think I should get revenge and I want it,” Vallejos said during his post-fight media availability. “But whenever I’m called, wherever I’m called, whoever the opponent is, I’ll be there. But believe me, revenge, I want that chance.”
Silva has recorded three consecutive stoppage wins at UFC since his debut in January. The Brazilian’s reputation skyrocketed after he earned “Fight of the Night” honors in July with a doctor-stoppage win over Drew Dober in a lightweight bout, two weeks after his stoppage win over Charles Jourdan. Silva’s success at UFC and the fact that Vallejos is the only opponent “Lord” has been unable to finish brings a sense of relief to the new UFC signing. While the “L” on his record still hurts, Vallejos is happy with the lessons he learned from it.
“I’m kind of relieved,” he said. “Jean Silva is a really good fighter in this company. He’s won three fights in a row. You’re talking about a fighter who actually won in another weight class, not his weight class, and the company keeps giving him fights… It hurt a little bit to come here and all of a sudden have a loss on my record. It’s going to stick with me. But I’m grateful that loss showed me what I was missing. I came back out there, I worked hard, I got better, I improved, I got a second chance, I went out there and won.”
Vallejos would love to see a rematch with Silva, but acknowledges it may not happen anytime soon given the different stages of their careers. Vallejos believes he needs a few more fights to get comfortable in UFC action, and is hopeful Silva will be in title contention by then.
“I know we’re in a different moment… [I] “I hope he gets a shot at the title and if he keeps doing what he’s doing now maybe he’ll get a chance,” Vallejos said. “Again, we’re at different stages and I think I’ll have three fights in this organization to prepare myself and get better, but my goal is to beat Jean Silva.”
