Josh Emmett - Kevin Vallejos: Betting Tip (KEF 1.18) and bets on the fight

Current form

If you look at Emmett's recent performances, the picture is ambiguous. In October 2025, he suffered a painful and very quick defeat. His long-awaited fight for the status of the best in the featherweight division against Youssef Zalala ended almost instantly: his opponent caught the American in a painful hand hold, and after a little more than one and a half minutes of the first round, Emmett was forced to give up. In general, last year turned out to be a difficult one for the veteran. Before that, he lost to Leron Murphy — the Briton confidently took victory after five rounds. Emmett's last major success was a spectacular knockout of Bryce Mitchell in the first round, which then spread all over the Internet and instantly went viral. But now the situation is different. Emmett is already 41 years old, and his opponent is only 24.

The generation difference in such battles is especially acute. In martial arts, age often plays a crucial role: reaction is a little slower, recovery is longer, and opponents are younger and hungrier to win. And yet Josh has a quality that commands respect even from critics — phenomenal resilience. His chin has long been a legend. In a duel against Ilya Topuria, he took 152 significant blows and was not knocked out.  However, the same fight with Murphy showed the other side of the coin. Emmett looked noticeably slower, acted quite straightforwardly, and was always looking for one hard punch. Murphy, on the other hand, worked more variously: he dodged, responded with combinations, and eventually outbid his opponent by more than half — 84 against 41.

Current form

Kevin Vallejos, on the other hand, is on the rise. The young Argentine is rapidly gaining momentum and is already considered one of the most promising featherweight fighters. In December 2025, he won his third UFC victory, confidently defeating Giga Chikadze. This success finally removed him from the category of just talented newcomers and consolidated his status as a serious contender. Earlier, Vallejos won by a technical decision from Danny Silva, and also scored a technical knockout in a fight against Seung-woo Choi. The Argentine's professional record is impressive — 14 wins with one loss. The only time he lost to Jean Silva at the Contender Series was in 2023, when the judges gave the fight to an opponent.