Kevin Vallejos proposes featherweight matchup plan on social media

Argentine featherweight Kevin Vallejos used social media to lay out his vision for how the UFC should approach the featherweight division, proposing three specific matchups he would like to see the promotion put together.

Vallejos, nicknamed "El Chino," carries an 18-1-0 record and is just 24 years old, fighting out of Brothers of Life MMA. The Argentine stands five-foot-seven with a 68-inch reach and competes as a switch-stance striker. He averages a notably high 6.12 significant strikes landed per minute, one of the more aggressive output numbers in the division. In his social media post, he proposed that he himself should face Yair Rodriguez.

For the other two bouts, Vallejos suggested that the number-one-ranked featherweight Movsar Evloev take on Alexander Volkanovski, and that Charles Oliveira meet Aljamain Sterling. Evloev, the undefeated Russian out of American Top Team, holds a 20-0-0 record and is 32 years old. The five-foot-seven orthodox wrestler averages 4.78 takedowns per 15 minutes, making him one of the more dominant grapplers at 145 pounds. Oliveira, ranked third at lightweight and 11th pound-for-pound at age 36, comes in at 37-11-0. The Brazilian out of Chute Boxe Diego Lima carries a reach of 74 inches and averages 2.6 submission attempts per 15 minutes, reflecting his reputation as one of the sport's elite finishers on the ground.

Why it matters

• Evloev's unbeaten record and top ranking make a Volkanovski matchup a logical title-contention bout, and Vallejos is publicly pushing for that fight to be made.
• A Vallejos versus Rodriguez pairing would pit a high-volume striker against one of the division's most dynamic fighters, with clear top-five implications.
• The post drew no official response from the UFC, so all three proposed bouts remain entirely unconfirmed at this stage.