Kevin Vallejos not only closed out the year in style but also won over boss Dana White with his exhilarating spinning backfist knockout over the popular Giga Chikadze at UFC Vegas 112.
Chikadze and Vallejos locked horns in the co-main event of the card. The opening frame was competitive with 'Ninja' presenting real problems for his opponent with his signature powerful kicks, scoring 10-9 from all three judges.
Vallejos came out swinging in the second round, trying to find openings of his own. After forcing the Georgian to go on the back foot, onto the cage wall with two powerful back-to-back straight right hands, he unleashed a spinning backfist, sending his opponent crashing down to the canvas.
'El Chino' then continued his onslaught with vicious ground-and-pound until referee Mark Smith pulled him off Chikadze.
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Suffice it to say, White was thoroughly impressed with the 24-year-old's performance and took to X, writing:
"#NowYouKnow"Check out Dana White's response to Kevin Vallejos' knockout win below:
Vallejos earned his ticket to the big leagues with a TKO win over Cam Teague at Dana White's Contender Series 2024. The Argentine fighter then passed his first UFC test with flying colors, scoring a first-round knockout of Seung Woo Choi earlier this March.
He continued his dominant run with a unanimous decision win over Danny Silva in August, and now his knockout over Chikadze has earned him his third UFC win. 'El Chino' will enter the featherweight rankings at No.15 in the next update.
Kevin Vallejos promises part of his fight purse to opponent's cancer foundation
Kevin Vallejos holds his UFC Vegas 112 opponent, Giga Chikadze, in high regard and has promised to donate a part of his winnings to 'Ninja's' cancer charity foundation.
Chikadze and his sister established The Knockout Cancer Foundation in 2014 in memory of their mother, Nino, who passed away in 2013 from the disease.
The foundation aims to raise funds for cancer patients and improve the lives of those affected by the disease. Since its inception, the organization has funded treatments, lab, and rehabilitation expenses of over 200 patients.
During his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping, Vallejos said:
"Giga Chikadze is a legend. Back in the day, he had a seven-fight winning streak [in the UFC]. [He is] someone that is a winner in life as well. He has an organization that helps people with cancer. I would love to donate part of my purse." [1:12 mark of the interview]Why did you not like this content?
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Edited by Ujwal Jain

11 hours ago
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English (US)