"What a knockout" - Henry Cejudo expects Kevin Vallejos to be top contender in 2026 

Kevin Vallejos impressed many with his spectacular spinning backfist knockout over Giga Chikadze at UFC Vegas 112, and former two-division champion Henry Cejudo now believes the Argentine fighter is set for a meteoric rise in 2026.

Vallejos will enter the featherweight rankings at No.15 in the next update, but 'Triple C' seems to think this is just the start. In a recent post on X, Cejudo predicted:

"Kevin Vallejos is going to be a top featherweight contender in 2026. What a knockout!!!"

Check out Henry Cejudo's prediction about Kevin Vallejos below:

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Chikadze and Vallejos locked horns earlier tonight in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 112. For 'Ninja', a win was paramount since he had been on a two-fight skid heading into the bout.

The Georgian edged out the first round, giving his opponent real problems with his powerful kicks, earning him 10-9 across the judges' scorecards. Things, however, went awry for him in the second round.

Vallejos came out with vicious intent. After forcing his opponent to go on the back foot with back-to-back right hands, he found Chikadze's chin with a spinning backfist that sent him crashing to the canvas.

The 24-year-old then connected with debilitating elbows on the ground for good measure, before the referee called a stop to the contest, earning him a KO win. Interestingly, this is the first time Chikadze has been finished by strikes.

Vallejos is now on a three-fight win streak in the UFC and a six-fight win streak overall in his MMA career.

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Kevin Vallejos wants 25-fight UFC veteran as his next opponent

It appears after knocking out Giga Chikadze at UFC Vegas 112, Kevin Vallejos now has his sights set on 'Ninja's' cornerman and promotional legend Cub Swanson.

Swanson is a 25-fight UFC veteran with wins over the likes of Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira, and Jeremy Stephens, among others. Speaking to Michael Bisping during his post-fight interview, Vallejos said:

"I would like to call out Cub Swanson. Talking about a legend, someone who is amazing, great, and also, I'd like to find a boxer to fight. Hey, let's see each other in Miami in April." [2:59 mark of the interview]

Edited by Ujwal Jain