Kevin Vallejos lands first main event vs. Josh Emmett

Kevin Vallejos is getting another step up in the UFC rankings, this time against a perennial top contender.

UFC Fight Night 269 will feature a headliner between Vallejos (17-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and Josh Emmett (19-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) – five rounds, March 14 at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, the promotion announced Friday.

Vallejos, 24, had a stupendous first calendar year in the UFC, so much so that he earned MMA Junkie's 2025 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year award. He debuted with a knockout of Seung Woo Choi, defeated Danny Silva by unanimous decision, and then turned in a spectacular spinning backfist knockout of promotion-ranked Giga Chikadze.

Emmett, 40, will aim to derail Vallejos' hype and snap a two-fight skid in the process. Emmett has been a staple of the upper echelon of the UFC's featherweight division for years. Even though he's lost four of five, the defeats have come against top-tier contenders and a champion: Yair Rodriguez, Lerone Murphy, Youssef Zalal, and Ilia Topuria.

The current UFC Fight Night 269 lineup includes:

• Josh Emmett vs. Kevin Vallejos

• Amanda Lemos vs. Gillian Robertson

• Lone'er Kavanagh vs. Bruno Silva

• Eryk Anders vs. Brad Tavares

• Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Vitor Petrino

• Ion Cutelaba vs. Oumar Sy

• Bia Mesquita vs. Montserrat Rendon

• Elijah Smith vs. Su Young You

• Luan Lacerda vs. Rinya Nakamura

• Harry Hardwick vs. Marwan Rahiki