UFC Vegas 114 preview: ‘Emmett vs. Vallejos’ predictions

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is just one day away from the upcoming UFC Vegas 114 mixed martial arts (MMA) event, which is set to go down tomorrow night (Sat., March 14, 2026) on Paramount+ from inside Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC Vegas 114 features a featherweight main event between 145-pound standouts Josh Emmett and Kevin Vallejos, a five-round showdown that could shake up the division Top 15.

Before we dive into the main and co-main events, which include the 115-pound collision between Top 10 strawweight contenders Amanda Lemos and Gillian Robertson, check out Andrew Richardson’s “X-Factor” breakdown for the rest of the UFC Vegas 114 main card by clicking here. Get all the latest “Emmett vs. Vallejos” odds and betting props courtesy of FanDuel right here.

145 lbs.: Josh Emmett vs. Kevin Vallejos

Josh Emmett had a nice run earlier in his UFC career, winning nine of his first 11 fights inside the Octagon and putting together a five-fight win streak that landed him at No. 5 in the official featherweight rankings — four spots ahead of Ilia Topuria. Then came a run of bad luck, or maybe a losing battle against Father Time. Perhaps both? Whatever the case may be, Emmett has lost two straight and four of his last five, getting submitted in two of those four losses. He clearly has power, as demonstrated in his UFC 296 snuff film starring Bryce Mitchell, but that stands as his only knockout victory over the last six years.

Technically speaking, Emmett is a below-average striker and only lands 35-percent of the strikes he throws. That’s worse than Mackenzie Dern (41 percent), just to give you some perspective. His nickname “CC0” was lifted from the Creative Commons Zero NFT because Emmett is one of those weird crypto-bros. That doesn’t have anything to do with his bout this weekend but it does tell me the 41 year-old Emmett is already thinking about his future after fighting, so perhaps he recognizes the end is near.

“I’m just delusionally optimistic now,” Emmett told reporters at the UFC Vegas 114 media day. “I know exactly what I can do and what I can achieve. I can compete with the best in the world, and I’ve showed it time and time before. I have the same mindset. I still want to be a world champion. I’m going to be a world champion. But I just have to go out there, be me, get my hand raised, and then we’ll slowly work our way back to the top. I’m on a one-way trip to the top, and I don’t care who’s coming with me.”

To the top of the stadium is more like it.

“Kevin’s great, he’s a good fighter,“ Emmett added. ”He’s not going to show me anything I haven’t seen before. I just have to keep my chin down, hands up, move, take it minute-by-minute, round-by-round, and the finish will come. I’m not going to go out there and force it. I’m just going to perform the way I know I can, and I know I will. The bonus will come for sure, we’ll probably get two. I’m just going to be myself, go out there and be calm.“

Vallejos has been an unexpected surprise and a much-needed addition to the featherweight class over the last 12 months. “El Chino” came up short against Jean Silva on Dana White’s “Contender Series” back in late 2023 then went and racked up two consecutive finishes on the regional circuit to get called back up. A second “Contender Series” stint resulted in a first-round finish over Cam Teague and it was off to the races. Vallejos registered two filthy knockouts in three trips to the Octagon, including his second-round destruction of Giga Chikadze to close out 2025 — a particularly satisfying finish considering how much trash the so-called “Ninja” was talking. The sportsbooks are expecting a similar outcome on Saturday based on the huge gap in the moneyline, reflecting the 24 year-old Argentinian’s youth and speed.

“I do think that I can knock him out – I’m not going to say that I can’t,” Vallejos told reporters at the UFC Vegas 114 media day. “This is MMA. Anything can happen. He can knock me out. I can knock him out. But to be honest, I feel like this is going to be a dream come true in the sense that I want to have that dream of just having a dirty, bloody war for five rounds where we just kill each other. That’s what I’m pretty much expecting.”

Great for UFC fans, not-so-great for longterm health.

“When they offered me the fight, the first thing that came to my mind was his knockout of Bryce Mitchell,” Vallejos continued. “But it also filled me with excitement because it’s a huge challenge and I love fights like this. For me, I’m a huge fan of Josh, so it’s also an honor to be able to fight him, someone who is such a legend in the sport.”

In order to qualify as a “legend” you have to do something legendary and I’m not sure Emmett has done that in his UFC career. He doesn’t hold a victory over anyone currently ranked in the division Top 15 and outside of the Mitchell fight, hasn’t looked good in several years. Regardless, he remains dangerous for as long as this fight is standing and Vallejos has yet to endure the cardiovascular hardship of a five-round fight. That said, “El Chino” is the better striker, the better athlete, and the clear favorite to close the show. Unless he gets cocky and starts to showboat, or lunges in looking for the finish, this should be a two-round shooting gallery.

Prediction: Vallejos def. Emmett by technical knockout

115 lbs.: Amanda Lemos vs. Gillian Robertson

Amanda “Amandinha” Lemos
Record: 15-5-1 | Age: 38 | Betting line: +170
Wins: 8 KO/TKO, 3 SUB, 4 DEC | Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 2 SUB, 2 DEC
Height: 5’4“ | Reach: 65” | Stance: Southpaw
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 2.75 | Striking accuracy: 55%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.24 | Striking Defense: 45%
Takedown Average: 1.02 (62% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 64%
Current Ranking: No. 5 | Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Tatiana Suarez

Gillian “The Savage” Robertson
Record: 16-8 | Age: 30 | Betting line: -205
Wins: 3 KO/TKO, 9 SUB, 4 DEC | Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 6 DEC
Height: 5’5“ | Reach: 63” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 2.86 | Striking accuracy: 48%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 2.86 | Striking Defense: 56%
Takedown Average: 2.74 (40% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 41%
Current Ranking: No. 8 | Last fight: Technical knockout win over Marina Rodriguez

Amanda Lemos had a pretty good start to her UFC career, winning seven of her first nine bouts and beating a crop of the usual strawweight suspects along the way, like Angela Hill and Marina Rodriguez, among others. That earned her a crack at the 115-pound crown, at the time being held by Zhang Weili, and Lemos was dominated for all five rounds and relegated to gatekeeper for the next two years. The results have been a mixed bag, as Lemos is 2-2 during that span, though she did register a victory over current strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern. “Amandinha” turns 39 in just a few weeks and not unlike Josh Emmett in the UFC Vegas 114 main event, this may be a case of the clock running out before Lemos can put together another significant run.

Lemos with the dissenting opinion:

“I think that winning against Gillian on Saturday and one or two more wins, and I do believe the fact that I beat Mackenzie is a matter of getting close to the belt, but let’s just wait,” Lemos told reporters at the UFC Vegas 114 media day. “We’re going to stifle her game and not let her impose what she wants to do and come out with the win. I think that she’s going to try to take me down, and we’re going to use that opportunity to frustrate her and knock her out.”

Gillian Robertson has found a new lease on her combat sports life after changing weight classes. Once a middling flyweight, the Canadian is now 5-1 at strawweight and coming off four straight wins with two knockouts. Like Lemos, Robertson is a prolific finisher, scoring 12 stoppages in 16 wins but unlike her “Sin City” counterpart, “The Savage” is just 30 years old and still in her competitive prime. She averages nearly three takedowns per fight and will no doubt be looking to impose her ground game against the longer, rangier Brazilian. There’s also the risk of having Lemos turn the tables, as “Amandinha” is a competent offensive wrestler in her own right and very strong for the division. I think this fight boils down to Robertson’s gas tank, which could exploit the wear-and-tear of Lemos — assuming she has, in fact, lost a step.

“I think with the most finishes out of anyone and the most submissions out of any women, this will be my fifth win in a row,” Robertson told reporters at the UFC Vegas 114 media day. “I don’t see why I wouldn’t deserve the title after this. I think this is a fight that has been in the making for years at this point. Mackenzie being such a highly accoladed grappler outside of the UFC, then me being the submission queen inside the UFC. It’s been something everyone has wanted to see, and why not for the belt? I really just need to get my hands on [Lemos] and the fight is going to be over.”

Robertson is likely to have a rough start as Lemos will probably come out like a bull in a china shop. If “The Savage” can survive the initial blitzkrieg, I think she’ll slowly chip away at the aging Brazilian, breaking her down over time and securing a late finish.

Prediction: Robertson def. Lemos by submission

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the UFC Vegas 114 main card predictions RIGHT HERE.

UFC Vegas 114 preview: ‘Emmett vs. Vallejos’ predictions

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