Kevin Vallejos predicts “all-out striking war” in UFC Qatar clash with Aljamain Sterling
Kevin Vallejos has reacted to his UFC Qatar clash with former champion Aljamain Sterling, promising an action-packed battle.
Just a few hours ago, Kevin Vallejos and Aljamain Sterling agreed to the fight publicly through an exchange on their X accounts, and now the UFC has officially announced the matchup.
Vallejos is now set to square off against former bantamweight champion Sterling in the co-main event of UFC Qatar, going down on November 21 at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena (ABHA Arena) in Doha.
Kevin Vallejos expects striking battle against Aljamain Sterling at UFC Qatar
The matchup pits one of the division's established names against one of its rising contenders, with Vallejos already anticipating an action-packed contest.
Following the announcement, Vallejos took to X to share his thoughts on the fight. He believes his fight against Sterling will play out as a striking slugfest for the fans, and he has promised to deliver a war of a fight at UFC Qatar.
“I think my fight with Sterling will be pure striking. All the fans win with this one. Legend vs Prospect. All-out striking war in a full arena.”
Check out Kevin Vallejos’ X post below:
Though Vallejos believes it will be a striking war against Sterling, it likely won't play out that way, as 'Funk Master' has elite grappling skills, and he'll definitely look to use them to get his hand raised.
Kevin Vallejos and Aljamain Sterling enter UFC Qatar clash with plenty at stake
Vallejos is riding high on confidence, as he is on a two-fight knockout win streak and an overall four-fight win streak in the UFC. In his most recent UFC outing, he faced veteran Josh Emmett, whom he knocked out in the first round to make a statement that he is ready for the top opponents in the featherweight division.
'El Chino' has suffered just one loss in his career, falling to Jean Silva on Dana White's Contender Series. He now holds a professional record of 18 wins and just one loss.
Meanwhile, Sterling, since moving up to the featherweight division, has put on great performances. He is now 3-1 in the 145-pound division. The defeat came against Movsar Evloev, who is fighting for the title next month against champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 333.
Interestingly, Sterling had been calling out Jean Silva for a potential title eliminator bout; however, the Brazilian has shown little to no interest in the fight, as he feels he has done enough to earn the next title shot. Now that 'Funk Master' is set to face Vallejos, he will try to get the victory to potentially call out Silva again.
The fight also represents a significant opportunity for Vallejos, as defeating a former champion could further establish him as a serious contender in the division.
