Vallejos wants Volkanovski to retain UFC 333 title so he can dethrone him in 2027

Kevin Vallejos is cheering for Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 333 this Saturday in Abu Dhabi, where the Australian defends his featherweight title against undefeated Movsar Evloev — though his reasons are entirely self-serving. The Argentine contender wants Volkanovski to win so that a potential title fight between the two remains on the table in 2027.

“I would like Volkanovski to win,” Vallejos told MMA Fighting. “I would like that because if I knock Sterling out, I would like to fight Volkanovski. I would like to take the title away from Volkanovski.”

Vallejos has earned his place in that conversation. He enters his co-main event bout against former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC Qatar on November 21 on the back of four consecutive wins inside the promotion. A strong performance there, he believes, could vault him into title contention — or at minimum into the conversation as the next challenger.

On the UFC 333 main event itself, Vallejos acknowledges Evloev’s credentials. The Russian prospect arrives unbeaten at 20-0, with his last three octagon outings yielding decisions over Arnold Allen, Aljamain Sterling, and Lerone Murphy. Volkanovski, meanwhile, is riding back-to-back wins over Diego Lopes.

“Evloev also has everything he needs to win,” Vallejos said. “He is 20-0, he has a very good record, but beating a guy who dominated the entire division for a long time… I think [Volkanovski] has more weight behind him when it comes to winning the title. [Evloev] will make things difficult for Volk, very difficult, but I see Volk winning.”

Vallejos himself carries just one loss across 19 professional bouts — a three-round defeat to Jean Silva at Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023. Silva has since gone 7-1 in the UFC and is also chasing a title shot, most recently submitting Jose Miguel Delgado in the third round. Despite that shared history, Vallejos believes a dominant win over Sterling — even without a finish — could be enough to leapfrog his rival in the rankings.

“If I don’t knock him out and win by decision, but show my level of takedown defense and also my ability to go three rounds with a guy who has a lot of experience fighting five-round fights and knows how to manage a fight, I think I would also show that I have the necessary skills for that opportunity,” Vallejos said.

For now, his focus is on Sterling. But the bigger picture is clear: Vallejos wants Volkanovski holding the belt when he comes calling.