UFC Fight Night: Emmett v Vallejos Predictions

The co-headliner at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas is a scrap between top-10 strawweights Amanda Lemos and Gillian Robertson.

It’s a big event for the featherweight division, as aside from the marquee matchup, there are two other fights at 145 pounds on the main card. One will see Andre Fili face Jose Delgado, and the other marks the promotional debut of Marwan Rahiki as he takes on Harry Hardwick.

Plus, the big boys will bring the thunder as Ion Cutelaba collides with Oumar Sy at light heavyweight and Vitor Petrino squares off against Steven Asplund.

Josh Emmett (4.50) v Kevin Vallejos (1.20) (Featherweight)

MAIN CARD:

When: Sunday, March 15, 2:00 AM SAST

This weekend’s main event is a battle between an old-school knockout artist and an up-and-coming blue-chipper.

Nothing lasts forever, and after years of commanding a place in the featherweight top 10, Emmett (19-6) enters this crunch clash outside of that elite group.

In the twilight of his career, the 41-year-old is no longer as sharp as he was in his prime and has dropped to 11th in the rankings after winning just one of his last five fights.

His last victory showed he’s still the hardest hitter in the division as he savagely slept Bryce Mitchell with a trademark one-punch knockout, but he suffered successive defeats since, losing on points to the undefeated Lerone Murphy and being submitted by Youssef Zalaal.

Boasting wins over high-calibre opponents like Calvin Kattar and Michael Johnson, he’s a former interim title challenger and went the full five rounds with former 145-pound king and current lightweight champion Ilia Topuria.

The epitome of the phrase dynamite comes in small packages, he can never be counted out with his bazooka of a right hand, but with his career winding down, he enters his fifth UFC main event as a huge underdog, despite being the higher-ranked fighter.

Young, hungry and lethal, Vallejos (17-1) took the UFC by storm in his first year in the promotion in 2025, racking up three straight wins.

Knocking out a divisional staple in Giga Chikadze in sensational fashion in December was the cherry on top of his terrific year, not only seeing him break into the top 15 but also earning him this, his maiden main event. 

The 24-year-old’s lone loss came on Dana White’s Contender Series back in 2023 when he was outpointed by Jean Silva. He’s put together a six-fight win streak since, with five of those victories coming by stoppage, to climb up to No. 14 in the rankings.

Emmett, with his wealth of experience and death touch, should serve as a solid test for the oncoming “El Chino.” As the younger man by a whopping 17 years, Vallejos will have a massive speed advantage on top of being a far busier striker.

The key for him will be to be patient and defensively responsible at all times. Emmett has only been knocked out once in his 15-year career, by Jeremy Stephens back in 2018, so it would be ill-advised for Vallejos to chase the finish from the get-go.

By staying patient and systematically picking the veteran apart, he should eventually get the gutsy Emmett out of there. 

Prediction: Vallejos by TKO.

Best Bet: Vallejos by KO/TKO/DQ at 1.90.

Alternative Bet: Vallejos by decision at 3.10.

Amanda Lemos (2.60) v Gillian Robertson (1.48) (Strawweight)

The co-main event is a pivotal fight in both top-10 strawweights’ careers.

Fifth-ranked Lemos (15-5-1) has scored some notable wins since joining the UFC in 2017, beating the likes of Angela Hill, Michelle Waterson and Iasmin Lucindo. In addition, she boasts a win over current champion Mackenzie Dern, so on any given night, she can topple some of the best in the world.

The big issue for the Brazilian in recent years has been inconsistency. She’s alternated wins and losses in her last six fights dating back to 2022, leaving her spinning her wheels. Coming off a loss to Tatiana Suarez and with “Amandinha” now being 38, she cannot afford to waste any more time.

Eighth-ranked Robertson (16-8), in contrast, has been on a tear. The Canadian has racked up four consecutive victories, most recently scoring just her third career TKO win over Marina Rodriguez last May.

She’s not exactly “The Savage” her nickname claims her to be, as she doesn’t have a lot of power in her hands and isn’t overly aggressive. She is talented on the ground and has nine submissions to her name, but hasn’t tapped anyone out in almost three years.

Instead, Robertson has rounded out and polished her game to the point where she outwits and outworks her opponents, and the 30-year-old should do just that against Lemos to move into the top five.

Prediction: Robertson by decision.

Best Bet: Robertson by decision at 2.65.

Alternative Bet: Fight to go the distance at 1.65.

Ion Cutelaba (2.70) v Oumar Sy (1.45) (Light Heavyweight)

Is Sy, with his 12-1 record, someone who could make some noise in the light heavyweight division? This weekend’s featured bout should give us a good idea.

He’s looked solid and is 3-1 in the UFC. After showing his mettle to bounce back from his first loss to Alonzo Menifield with a knockout win over Brendson Ribeiro last time out, he’s out to prove another point – that he can get past a dangerous veteran and make a push towards the top 15.

In his 10th year as a member of the UFC roster, Cutelaba (19-11-1) has earned a reputation as a lethal litmus test for prospects with big plans. “The Hulk” is 3-2 in his last five Octagon outings and eager to return to winning ways after a split decision loss to Modestas Bukauskas. 

With 16 stoppage wins, including 13 knockouts, Cutelaba is a threat that Sy has to take seriously. I have no doubt that he will, and as the technically superior striker with a massive eight-inch reach advantage and good grappling, the Frenchman should pass the test. 

Prediction: Sy by decision.

Best Bet: Sy by decision at 3.80.

Alternative Bet: Fight to go the distance at 2.40.

Andre Fili (3.30) v Jose Delgado (1.32) (Featherweight)

Building momentum is on the mind of veteran Fili (25-12) in this clash, whereas up-and-comer Delgado (10-2) is out for redemption.

It’s been just about seven years since Fili registered back-to-back wins and he has the opportunity to do so this weekend following his split decision victory over Christian Rodriguez in August.

“Touchy” has power (10 knockouts) but will have to rely on his veteran craftiness as Delgado is defensively sound and has never been finished.

On the flip side, Delgado boasts a 100% finishing rate (six knockouts and four submissions), and with Fili having been stopped in his last two losses, all signs point to a statement win for the Mexican.

After missing weight and losing to Nathaniel Wood in his last fight, Delgado is extra determined this week and will make it up to his fans by felling Fili.

Prediction: Delgado by knockout.

Best Bet: Delgado by KO/TKO/DQ at 2.00.

Alternative Bet: Delgado by KO/TKO/Submissions/DQ at 1.57.

Marwan Rahiki (1.38) v Harry Hardwick (2.95) (Featherweight)

Another featherweight with a 100% finishing rate, Rahiki will make his UFC debut this weekend with a perfect record of 7-0 with six knockouts and one submission.

 “Freaky” impressed when he rallied and knocked out Ananias Mulumba on Dana White’s Contender Series in October and will bring the same ferocity to the table in his promotional debut.

Hardwick (13-4-1) is just as hungry to prove what he can do and get his first UFC win. His debut in the world’s leading mixed martial arts promotion was anything but ideal as he stepped up on short notice for a fight up a weight class.

“Houdini” couldn’t pull a rabbit out of the hat and was stopped by Kaue Fernandes in the first round, ending a 10-fight unbeaten run, all but one fight in that stretch being under the Cage Warriors banner.

The Brit gets a level playing field here to prove what he’s capable of, but this is a bad matchup for him. Rahiki lands just about double the number of significant strikes Hardwick does, so he’s set to outgun and most likely stop him.

Prediction: Rahiki by knockout.

Best Bet: Rahiki by KO/TKO/DQ at 2.35.

Alternative Bet: Under 2.5 rounds at 1.60.

Vitor Petrino (1.43) v Steven Asplund (2.75) (Heavyweight)

A pair of hard-hitting heavyweights promise to start the main card with a bang.

Petrino (13-2) started his UFC tenure at 205 pounds, where he won four on the trot before stoppage losses to Anthony Smith and Dustin Jacoby prompted him to move up to heavyweight.

The move proved exactly what “Icão” needed as he submitted Austen Lane and knocked out Thomas Peterson to position himself at No. 15. Should he make it three from three, bigger opportunities will be coming his way.

Asplund (7-1) is someone who’s won in life. The American tipped the scales at over 500 pounds before he turned his life around and now fights at 260 pounds.

All but one of his wins are by knockout, including his successful UFC debut against Sean Sharaf in December, which stretched his win streak to four. 

As likeable as Asplund is, Petrino is a much better athlete and a more well-rounded fighter. The Brazilian’s superior speed and skillset will see him continue to shine at heavyweight. 

Prediction: Petrino by stoppage.

Best Bet: Petrino by KO/TKO/Submission/DQ at 1.90.

Alternative Bet: Petrino by submission at 3.50.