Athletes
Kevin Vallejos Ready To Wrap Up Year One
Argentinian Featherweight Talks First Year Lessons, Facing Giga Chikadze
There is a video on Kevin Vallejos’ Instagram page from the evening following his most recent appearance against Danny Silva that shows the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate enjoying the spoils of victory.
Still decked out in his fight kit, he pulls a piping hot slice of pepperoni pizza and takes a massive bite, leaning back and reveling in the cheesy, greasy goodness.
“It’s glory when you get that bite,” he said a couple days prior to his co-main event pairing with Giga Chikadze on Saturday. “It’s not Argentine barbecue — we’re not talking about a proper asado here — but having a bite of pizza or some junk food is amazing.”
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While the night did not close with the signature grilled meats of his homeland, that August night at the UFC APEX was a special night for the Argentines on the UFC roster.
Both Vallejos and Esteban Ribovics claimed victories, with the latter claiming a unanimous decision win in a Fight of the Night-winning battle against Elves Brener. UFC welterweight Francisco Prado was in Ribovics’ corner and ranked bantamweight Ailin Perez was in attendance, rooting on her compatriots, while veteran Santiago Ponzinibbio called the action as part of the UFC’s Spanish broadcast.
It was the first time all five of the active Argentinian athletes on the UFC roster were together on this stage. As glorious as that initial bite of victory pizza was for Vallejos, the opportunity to share that experience with Ribovics, Prado, Perez, and Ponzinibbio was even more satisfying for the rising featherweight star.
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“I think it was a cool and beautiful moment to show people that all of us support each other; we are friends, and everyone is always looking out for each other even though we might be in different countries, living in different parts,” Vallejos said. “We’re always supportive of each other.
“To be able to share the same card and for all of us to be on the same card — and to share it with Santiago, someone that came before us — everybody saluting each other, everybody giving props to each other, it was a beautiful moment. It showed it’s different: we have this bond, this union that is stronger than anything else, and it shows there is even more good stuff coming from Argentina.”
Everything about that day was important and enjoyable for the UFC freshman, who turned 24 on Monday, as in between posing for pictures with his fellow Argentinians and his post-fight feast, Vallejos successfully navigated a difficult matchup with his fellow DWCS grad Silva.
Though he came away with a unanimous decision win — his second straight in the UFC and fifth consecutive overall since dropping a decision to Jean Silva in his initial appearance on the annual talent-search series — the battle with Silva was much closer and far more competitive than the 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 scores may suggest.
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“I think it was important to have a win against a guy like Danny Silva because he put me in some binds a couple times,” he said. “The guy has got some boxing, he’s got some wrestling, he’s got some Muay Thai, so it’s good. It’s important to have a win like that because he showed me where are areas where I need to get better, where do I need to improve.
“The lessons? There is really nothing to say: I’m a young athlete, 24 years old,” he added when asked what he’d learned through his first two fights. “I like to evolve in every aspect of the game. This is a sport that is evolving as it is and keeps on changing, so I keep evolving, keep training, and keep getting better in order to have more opportunities to keep evolving, keep getting better in this organization.”
Though still in Year One of his UFC journey, Vallejos arrived in the promotion with a ton of promise and has the opportunity to close out his first year competing in the Octagon with a statement victory over Chikadze this weekend, calling the matchup and their placement in the co-main event a “dream come true.”
Currently positioned at No. 15 in the featherweight ranks after dropping three of his last four, the 37-year-old Georgian kickboxer is the most experienced opponent Vallejos has faced to date.
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“A great opportunity to fight a fighter that has been in the rankings for quite some time, as experienced as Giga Chikadze,” he said. “Think about it: I was nothing before and here I am fighting a guy that has been in the rankings. This is an opportunity that I do not plan on missing out on, a very good opportunity to fight a guy that brings so much to the table.
“At the end of the day, I don’t have a rush to get into the title picture; I think of it step-by-step,” continued the 16-1 Argentinian.
He doesn’t want to get too far ahead of himself, whether it be in terms of claiming a place in the rankings or eventually challenging for championship gold, which is something many forecasted he would do after watching his tandem efforts on the Contender Series.
That being said, he does have an ideal scenario in mind for both avenging his lone career defeat and fighting for the featherweight title.
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“I think about continuing to evolve and having that chance to have a rematch against Jean Silva,” added Vallejos, acknowledging the one potential future engagement he does allow himself to envision. “I do believe at one point, he’ll get that belt and we’ll face each other, and it should be for the belt in the future.
“But for now, (I want to) continue to evolve as a fighter and continue to evolve with the company.”
While those are his mid-range and long-term goals, the short-term target is to find success against Chikadze on Saturday and close out his rookie campaign with a third consecutive UFC victory. From there, he will celebrate his latest triumph, his first year on the roster, and his birthday all in one with the handful of close friends and contemporaries that will be in town this weekend.
Although it once again won’t rival a proper asado, there will be plenty of opportunities for “El Chino” to enjoy the tastes of home once following this last business trip of the year.
“Unfortunately, the whole family isn’t here, not everybody is here, but I do have a network of people, so enjoy it with the team, enjoy it with those around me, and eating, which is very important as well. I think the most important thing is to be able to celebrate after a win like that.
“The barbecue is the thing that I miss the most,” he added with a smile, “but I think I have a lot of invitations and a lot of options when I get home.”
UFC fight Night: Royval vs Kape took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 13, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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