Debutant praised for showing off "shades of Ilia Topuria" makes a request to UFC after defeated opponent's personal tragedy: "My heart aches for him"

Following his opponent's loss, a UFC fighter who was compared to Ilia Topuria requested that the promotion give him another shot. The individual extended his support as his opponent recently experienced a personal loss.

The person in question is Kevin Vallejos, who made his octagon debut against veteran Seung-Woo Choi in a featherweight bout at UFC Vegas 104 this past weekend at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Vallejos displayed his quick reflex and countered a right hand with his own to drop Choi, and followed up with ground-and-pound attacks, forcing the referee to step in to end the fight in the opening round.

This prompted a reaction from former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, who took to X and praised the Argentinian, citing a resemblance with Topuria, who is known for his sharp strikes. Sterling wrote:

''If ppl don’t see the shades of Ilia Topuria here with his head movement then counter right hand. Then you’re missing out on great details!''

Notably, Vallejos praised Choi in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping and thanked the South Korean fighter for showing up to their fight despite suffering from a personal loss before. The 23-year-old requested that Choi should be given another chance to compete in the promotion.

In response to MMA journalist Damon Martin's X post on Vallejos' generosity, 'El Chino' revealed that Choi had lost his mother less than a month prior and reinforced his request, writing:

''Choi lost his mother less than a month ago and still fought me. My heart aches for him. I really hope he gets another shot im the UFC''

---

UFC prospect Kevin Vallejos calls out Jean Silva for a potential rematch

Kevin Vallejos (15-1) made his successful octagon debut this past weekend by securing an opening-round knockout win over Seung-Woo Choi at UFC Vegas 104. During the post-fight octagon interview with Michael Bisping, Vallejos expressed his desire for a rematch with Jean Silva, saying:

''Jean Silva, I'm coming for you. Let's go''

Check out Kevin Vallejos' comments below (1:44):

Notably, Silva handed Vallejos his sole professional loss when the two met in Dana White's Contender Series: Season 7, Week 5 in 2023. The emerging Brazilian earned the UFC contract by defeating Vallejos via unanimous decision.

Silva is 4-0 in the promotion, with all of his wins coming via finishes. He is now set to face Bryce Mitchell at UFC 314 on April 12.