Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight sluggers Josh Emmett vs. Kevin Vallejos will clash TONIGHT (Sat., March 14, 2026) inside Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, for UFC Vegas 114.
Times have been tough for Emmett, who hasn’t won a fight since his monstrous 2023 knockout over Bryce Mitchell. Admittedly, he’s only faced and lost to the cream of the crop, but the road isn’t growing any easier. Vallejos is one of the fastest rising young talents at 145 pounds, a thudding knockout artist that
has already broken into the Top 15. The 24 year old from Argentina is on the fast track to title contention after three straight wins, and knocking off a former title contender in his first main event slot would only propel him closer to UFC gold.
Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:
Emmett vs. Vallejos Betting Odds
- Josh Emmett victory: +390
- Josh Emmett via TKO/KO/DQ: +800
- Josh Emmett via submission: +2700
- Josh Emmett via decision: +950
- Kevin Vallejos victory: -590
- Kevin Vallejos via TKO/KO/DQ: +110
- Kevin Vallejos via submission: +650
- Kevin Vallejos via decision: +240
- Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
How Emmett Wins
Emmett fits one of the earliest and most successful MMA molds: the collegiate wrestler with a massive right hand. Recent years have seen Emmett try to implement his takedowns more often, but he’s at his best when pressuring, mixing in body punches, and shifting between stances.
This matchup is very likely to be a boxing match with four-ounce gloves, comparable to Emmett’s bouts with Ilia Topuria, Calvin Kattar, and Shane Burgos. When two men are more willing to stand in front of one another and box rather than pull away from exchanges, the importance of boxing fundamentals rise. Emmett has to be jabbing more often, as well as moving his head immediately after throwing punches.
Given Vallejos’ speed and aggression, I’d like to see Emmett focus on being first and third here. Too often, he has opted to play the counter puncher role exclusively. If instead he is more proactive with his volume then looks to slip-and-return, he should have better success in timing his best connections. Make no mistake: nobody wants to get punched by Josh Emmett, even at 41 years of age. If Emmett is boxing well rather than head hunting, he’s a very live dog.
How Vallejos Wins
Vallejos has drawn plenty of Topuria comparisons for good reason. He moves quite like the Lightweight kingpin, feinting his way forward in an attempt to herd his opposition into his powerful right hand. His boxing fundamentals are excellent, and thus far, the only flaw on his record was a closely contested war versus Jean Silva at a mere 21 years of age.
The future looks very bright for “El Chino.”
Above, I talked about how boxing fundamentals become more important in this kind of matchup, how winning the jab battle is suddenly more valuable than ever. Simultaneously, the jab battle really opens up the outside calf kick, which can be an absolute game changer. When Topuria beat up Emmett, it all really began with his calf kicks, as he broke down Emmett’s stance and made him hesitate.
Vallejos should be looking to do the same. If he can draw out Emmett’s lead hand and punish his left leg early on, it will benefit him greatly as the five rounds wear on. The other key tactic for Vallejos is to take away and punish Emmett’s right hand, which is a significant portion of his offense. If he can roll beneath the blow and fire back, it will deter Emmett away from his best weapon.
Emmett vs. Vallejos Prediction
This is a great test for Vallejos. In his last two fights, the prospect has faced some adversity yet come through the other side with a big win regardless. Danny Silva gave him some problems with his counter punching, and Giga Chikadze was actually doing very well at distance before the sudden spinning backfist caught him perfectly.
The concern here is that Emmett’s punching power will not allow much margin for error. Vallejos cannot afford to take big punches early or slow down a little late in the face of such massive haymakers. I wonder if he’s been pushed to the top of the division a little too quickly, as this is just his fourth overall UFC bout. Both men will get the boxing match they desire, but has Vallejos bitten off a bit more than he can chew?
