UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Vallejos Preview

Josh Emmett exchanges blows inside the pocket with Calvin Kattar. Credit: MMA Fighting.

The UFC returns to its headquarters at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, with an outstanding Fight Night card. The entire card has been filled with excellent matchups, rising prospects, and established veterans all looking to secure a highlight reel victory this Saturday. In the co-main event, we’ll see a collision of two top-ten Strawweights when dangerous striker Amanda Lemos takes on submission ace Gillian Robertson. In the main event, two heavy-handed Featherweights will go toe-to-toe when divisional stalwart Josh Emmett faces off with the red-hot Kevin Vallejos. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.

#14 Charles Johnson vs. #15 Bruno Silva

Charles Johnson lands a thudding left hook on Joshua Van. Credit: MMA Fighting.

Flyweight Bout

Charles Johnson: 18-8-0, 8 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

Bruno Silva: 15-7-2, 6 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.

Johnson has won three of his last five fights and has UFC victories over UFC Flyweight Champion Joshua Van (16-2-0), #6 ranked Flyweight Lone’er Kavanagh (10-1-0), and Azat Maksum (15-3-0). He’s a dangerous striker with solid wrestling and submissions. He always throws in combination, constantly mixing in kicks and evenly spreading his shots across the head, legs, and body. He has excellent footwork, regularly switching stances, and has great head movement, rarely keeping his head on the centerline. Training at Murcielago MMA, Johnson is willing to grapple and is a tenacious wrestler who’s capable of defending takedowns and landing his own. He has never been finished and has an excellent chin, always willing to eat a shot to land one. Johnson tends to improve as the fight continues and has scored over 60% of his finishes after round 1.

Bruno Silva viciously chokes out Tyson Nam. Credit: MMA Junkie.

Silva has won three of his last five bouts, holding UFC victories over Cody Durden (17-10-1), Hyunsung Park (10-2-0), and Tyson Nam (21-14-1). He’s a well-rounded, explosive fighter who’s dangerous anywhere, anytime. He’s in perpetual motion, regularly firing kicks from range before dipping his head and crashing into the pocket to unload hooks and overhands. Silva varies his attacks well and throws everything with impressive speed and power. He has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has landed, on average, nearly two takedowns per fifteen minutes in the UFC. Training at Fight Ready, he’s dangerous on the mat, possessing excellent submission defense, scrambles, and chokes. He’s earned Performance of the Night bonuses in nearly half his UFC appearances and always leaves everything inside the cage.

Ion Cutelaba vs. Oumar Sy

Ion Cutelaba secures a double leg takedown on Ivan Erslan. Credit: Ag. Fight.

Light Heavyweight Bout

Ion Cutelaba: 19-11-1, 13 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

Oumar Sy: 12-1-0, 5 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.

Cutelaba has won three of his last five outings and holds UFC victories over #4 ranked Light Heavyweight Khalil Rountree Jr. (15-7-0), Tanner Boser (21-10-1), and Ibo Aslan (14-4-0). He’s a true wildman in the cage, always pushing a heavy pace and unloading bombs. He throws everything with power, regularly ducking his head or lunging forward to fire huge, looping shots. Training at Xtreme Couture, Cutelaba is always willing to brawl but also has an extensive grappling background and excellent wrestling skills. He is willing to shoot early and can land takedowns in open space or in the clinch, possessing particularly excellent throws and trips. He’s extremely active in top position, immediately looking to posture up and do damage and remaining offensive at all times. Cutelaba has been in the UFC since 2016 and has a wealth of experience, always putting on a show every time he steps inside the cage.

Oumar Sy submits Tuco Tokkos with a tight rear naked choke. Credit: MMA Mania.

Sy has won four of his last five fights, with UFC victories coming over Da Woon Jung (15-6-1), Brendson Ribeiro (17-9-0), and Tuco Tokkos (11-5-0). He’s a well-rounded scrapper with big-time punching power and excellent grappling. He favors power to volume on the feet but is highly explosive, often keeping a low pace before suddenly unloading massive combinations. Sy fights behind his jab and will constantly look to close the distance to either let his hands go, clinch up, or shoot for a takedown. Training at American Top Team, he’s averaging nearly three takedowns landed per fifteen minutes in the UFC and typically secures them quickly. He has heavy top pressure and is constantly pursuing a finish from top position, usually preferring to hunt for a submission than rain down ground and pound shots. Sy has proven exceptionally defensively sound, and is yet to absorb more than 30 significant strikes in a UFC fight.

Marwan Rahiki vs. Harry Hardwick

Marwan Rahiki finishes Ananias Mulumba with a vicious combination. Credit: Getty Images.

Featherweight Bout

Marwan Rahiki: 7-0-0, 6 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Harry Hardwick: 13-4-1, 3 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.

Rahiki is undefeated and making his UFC debut. He’s a dangerous, wild striker who loves flashy attacks and is always pursuing a knockout. He has solid head movement, often relying on it and fighting with his hands down, remaining unpredictable at all times. Rahiki will regularly throw heavy, naked kicks from range and constantly attempt spinning attacks, typically trying to pull his opponent into him before throwing a spinning kick or elbow. Training at Lion’s Den Academy, he won’t usually pursue takedowns but has a purple belt in BJJ and is highly aggressive in top position, immediately posturing up and raining down ground and pound. He throws every shot with maximum power and usually throws in combination, greatly favoring hooks and overhands to straight shots. Rahiki has not been to a decision in his professional career and pushes a heavy pace from the opening bell.

Harry Hardwick fires a hook to the body of Federico Pasquali. Credit: Cage Warriors.

Hardwick has won four of his last five fights and is looking for his first UFC victory. He’s a true grinder who looks to constantly pressure and wear down his opponents. He’s a technical, measured striker, always picking his shots and varying his attacks well between the head, body, and legs. He has a great chin and is willing to eat a shot to land one, often looking to counterstrike and let his opponent get wild before landing clean shots of his own. Training at Middlesbrough Fight Academy, he’s a solid grappler, holding a brown belt in BJJ, excellent top pressure, and an outstanding backtake. He’s as technical on the mat as he is on the feet, constantly looking for openings and doing damage while maintaining control and exhausting his opponent. Hardwick has five-round experience outside the UFC and great cardio, often improving and letting his hands go more as the fight continues.

Andre Fili vs. José Miguel Delgado

Andre Fili tags Nathaniel Wood with a short right hook. Credit: MMA Junkie.

Featherweight Bout

Andre Fili: 25-12-0, 10 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

José Miguel Delgado: 10-2-0, 6 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.

Fili has won three of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over Charles Jourdain (17-8-1), Bill Algeo (18-9-0), and Cub Swanson (30-14-0). He’s a well-rounded scrapper who will engage in the fight wherever it goes and always leaves everything inside the cage. He’s always coming forward on his feet, constantly switching stances and fighting patiently behind his jab. Fili throws in combination, throwing every shot with accuracy and purpose, and possesses devastating kicks, especially to the head. Training at Team Alpha Male, he’s averaging over 2 takedowns per 15 minutes in his promotional tenure and is excellent in top position. He never telegraphs his shots and does a great job attacking at different angles, regularly landing damage at range and inside the pocket. Fili has solid cardio and won’t get sloppy, pushing a consistent pace throughout the fight.

José Miguel Delgado lands a crushing elbow to the head of Connor Matthews. Credit: MMA Mania.

Delgado has won four of his last five outings, holding UFC victories over Hyder Amil (11-2-0) and Connor Matthews (7-4-0). He’s a powerful striker with sharp boxing, big-time power, and solid grappling. He throws everything in combination and with knockout intentions, regularly unloading lengthy sequences of hooks and ending with body shots. Delgado is always pressuring his opponent, putting out non-stop offense while remaining accurate and throwing every shot with purpose. He will constantly switch stances, giving his opponent different looks while setting up his grappling with his striking, often closing distance with punches before pursuing a takedown. Training at the MMA Lab, he’s a powerful wrestler, able to land takedowns in open space and is tough to control in bottom position. Delgado has finished all of his professional victories and secured seven of those ten finishes in the very first round.

#5 Amanda Lemos vs. #8 Gillian Robertson

Amanda Lemos lands a stunning right hand on Iasmin Lucindo. Credit: MMA Junkie.

Women’s Strawweight Bout

Amanda Lemos: 15-5-1, 8 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

Gillian Robertson: 16-8-0, 3 KO/TKO, 9 Sub.

Lemos has won two of her last five fights and holds UFC victories over Strawweight Champion Mackenzie Dern (16-5-0), #14 ranked Strawweight Angela Hill (18-16-0), and #15 ranked Strawweight Mizuki (16-6-0). She is a knockout artist with serious power in her hands who’s dangerous anywhere. She throws every shot with power and knockout intentions. Lemos won’t push a crazy pace on the feet, making up for volume with power and accuracy, having landed 55% of the significant strikes she’s attempted in the UFC. Training at Marajo Brothers Team, she is at her best when she’s controlling the center of the octagon and pressuring her opponent, throwing plenty of devastating front kicks and leg kicks when at distance. She averages about one takedown landed per 15 minutes in the UFC and has shown a slick submission game, particularly her guillotine. Lemos has secured eight of her eleven finishes in round one and is most dangerous early on.

Gillian Robertson rains down brutal ground and pound shots onto Polyana Viana. Credit: MMA Junkie.

Robertson has won four of her last five bouts, with UFC victories coming over Piera Rodriguez (11-2-0), Marina Rodriguez (17-6-2), and Michelle Waterson-Gomez (18-13-0). She’s a true submission artist with excellent wrestling and BJJ skills. She’s patient on her feet, looking for openings to land shots and controlling the center, forcing her opponent onto their back foot. Robertson usually won’t waste much time before pursuing a takedown, and will gladly shoot repeatedly to bring the fight to the mat. She has landed a takedown in ten consecutive fights and is very active in top position, constantly advancing position and setting up submissions. Training at The Goat Shed, she will regularly mix in punishing ground and pound while pursuing submissions, and has smothering top pressure. Robertson holds various UFC women’s records, including the most submission wins (7), the most finishes at women’s Flyweight (7), and is tied for the most finishes in UFC women’s history (10). 

#11 Josh Emmett vs. #14 Kevin Vallejos

Josh Emmett fires a heavy shot to the body of Bryce Mitchell. Credit: MMA Junkie.

Featherweight Bout

Josh Emmett: 19-6-0, 7 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Kevin Vallejos: 17-1-0, 12 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Emmett has won one of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Bryce Mitchell (18-4-0), Dan Ige (19-11-0), and Calvin Kattar (23-10-0). He’s a vicious power-puncher with excellent wrestling and can produce a knockout with a single shot. He has great movement and footwork, remaining in perpetual motion while looking for opportunities to land big, looping shots. Emmett will regularly dip his head or lunge forward before unloading bombs and is constantly looking to close the distance and let his hands go. Training at Team Alpha Make, he’s averaging over 1 takedown per 15 minutes and has explosive wrestling, capable of impressive slams. Emmett has an outstanding chin and, although he’s a technical striker, is always willing to throw down and exchange inside the pocket. Emmett has scored the most knockdowns in UFC Featherweight history (12) and is always hunting for a knockout. 

Kevin Vallejos blasts Giga Chikadze with a brutal spinning backfist. Credit: MMA Mania.

Vallejos is on a six-fight win streak, holding UFC victories over Giga Chikadze (15-6-0), Seung Woo Choi (11-8-0), and Danny Silva (10-2-0). He’s an outstanding striker with excellent punching power and counterstriking. He throws every shot with knockout intentions, regularly adding low kicks to the end of punch combinations. Vallejos has terrific footwork and distance management, regularly looking to slip punches and return fire. Training at Brothers of Life MMA, he remains technical throughout and won’t telegraph shots, entering the pocket at different angles and opening combinations with different punches. He won’t typically pursue takedowns, but he’s a solid grappler with heavy top control and ground and pound. Vallejos pushes a heavy pace and rarely sees the judges’ scorecards, with eight of his fourteen finish victories coming in the first round.

Best Bets

José Miguel Delgado Moneyline: This is an interesting matchup between a rising prospect and a true veteran. Although Fili is extremely tough and fought practically a who’s who of the Featherweight division, I believe Delgado has the edge. Fili is generally at his best when he has either a power or size advantage, and he’ll be lacking both of those in this fight. Delgado is also the quicker and, in my opinion, more well-rounded fighter of the two, and has more paths to victory than his opponent in this matchup. I expect Delgado to get off to a hot start, forcing Fili onto his back foot and not allowing him to build any momentum with his striking. As the fight continues, I anticipate Delgado mixing in takedowns and controlling Fili on the mat, taxing Fili’s cardio and punching power as he lands damage of his own. Ultimately, I expect an impressive victory for Delgado either via finish or decision.

Amanda Lemos Moneyline: This is a great fight between two established Strawweights with vastly different styles. Although Robertson has definitely been the hotter of these two fighters lately, her recent victories have largely come over fighters on losing streaks and on their way out of the UFC. Of the four fighters she’s beaten on her win-streak, none of them have won more than one of their last five fights, and two of them have since retired. Lemos is the vastly more skilled striker of the two, and I believe has the grappling ability to both compete with Robertson on the mat and keep the fight standing. I expect Lemos to fend off Robertson’s takedowns early and take control of the fight, forcing Robertson to engage with her on the feet and take damage doing so. As the fight goes on, I expect Robertson to get more desperate for takedowns, opening more opportunities for Lemos to land big shots and wear down her opponent. Robertson has proved highly durable and won’t be easy to put away, but I believe Lemos will secure a dominant victory and put herself back into the win column this Saturday.

Emmett vs. Vallejos Over 3.5 Rounds: Another matchup of a quickly-rising prospect and an established veteran, I’ve been looking forward to this one. Although these fighters’ careers seem to be trending in opposite directions, I believe this fight is closer than many people think. This fight is a huge step up in competition for Vallejos, going from facing other unranked fighters to a former title challenger in just his fourth UFC appearance. Both of these fighters are also exceptionally durable, with Vallejos having never been finished and Emmett not having a knockout loss since 2018 despite going toe-to-toe with some of the best the division has to offer. I expect both fighters to take their time early on, respecting their opponents' power and looking for openings to do damage. Although both are solid grapplers, I believe their skills on the mat cancel each other out, and for most of this fight to play out on the feet, with both of them picking their shots and trying to remain elusive. I do expect an entertaining scrap and for both men to take more risks as the fight continues, but I’m confident that this fight lasts at least three and a half rounds.