New Headline: Vallejo Dominates Topuria in Exciting Electric MMA Showcase
Kevin Vallejos is flattered to be compared with UFC champion Ilia Topuria, but he also doesn't want those comments to overshadown his own work.
Kevin Vallejos has mixed feelings when he hears comparisons to UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria . Vallejos (18-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC), a rising featherweight contender, was compared plenty to Topuria by UFC commentators during his fight against veteran Josh Emmett in the main event of UFC Fight Night 269, which took place at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Although the Argentine was flattered to be compared by arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter today, Vallejos doesn't want his uniqueness and own attributes to get lost in the narrative.
"I heard something about that, and I heard they were saying that I was upset that I was being compared to him," Vallejos told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. "I have never said that at any point. Truthfully, I'm flattered to be compared with the double champion.
It's an honor. It's something good. I've never said that's bad.
I just simply want to be recognized for being me, my own fighter, not a copy of somebody else. I don't want to coattail on somebody's fame. I don't want to be seen that way.