Kevin Vallejos got the better of a striking battle with Danny Silva tonight at UFC On ESPN 71 to emerge with a unanimous decision victory.
Round One
Low kick for Vallejos to start. Nice right hand for him. He catches a kick from Silva, but his opponent gets his limb free from that.
A few punches fly wide of the mark. Silva pops out the jab. Inside leg kick from Silva. Now a step-in knee from him, but misses the punches behind it.
Vallejos with a few punches and now a low kick. Silva with a leg kick too. Body kick and then a head kick attempt on the other side by Vallejos, but it’s blocked.
Silva threatens with a knee that comes up short, but lands a punch. Solid body kick for Vallejos. He punches to the body too.
Another head kick from Vallejos is blocked. Right hook from Silva. Vallejos clinches and immediately moves around to the back, walking his opponent over to the cage. Silva able to break free though.
Hooks for Vallejos. He connects with a good right hand. Now a knee strike. Silva presses forward now but misses a few punches. However, Silva then switches things up late in the round by landing a takedown.
Round Two
Right Hand for Vallejos. Body kick for Silva. Low kick from Silva, but eats a punch in the process. Jab for Silva.
Vallejos tries to break through Silva’s guard with a short right. Now he rips to the body nicely. Front kick to the body for Vallejos. Exchange of punches in close. Silva reaches for a potential takedown, but Vallejos clinches and walks him over to the cage. Silva quickly gets away.
A couple of hard right hands connect for Vallejos. Low kick for Silva. Vallejos with a right hand then a left that gets a smile from Silva.
Silva tries for a takedown, but Vallejos shakes him off. Vallejos lands to the body. Silva tries again for a possible takedown, but doesn’t commit fully to it.
Vallejos with a one-two. Solid punches to the body now. Vallejos drives in for a takedown and doesn’t get it at the first attempt, but lands it solidly the second time around. Silva with his back to the cage and gradually works back up while getting caught by a knee.
Vallejos digs to the body again. Now he threatens with an uppercut. Right hand for Vallejos. Elbow from Silva got through. Grazing right from Vallejos. Vallejos with a left and a hook. He goes to the body again. Head kick attempt from Vallejos in the final seconds misses.
Round Three
Head kick from Silva almost broke through there. He lands a well-timed knee to the body. Right hand for Vallejos. Nice takedown from Vallejos but Silva drives back up and they battle in the clinch against the cage. Vallejos presses Silva into the cage, but Silva gets away.
Jab for Silva. He presses forward, but Vallejos fires off an uppercut. Push kick from Vallejos and then a punch behind it.
Vallejos with a nicely time right hand. Jab for Silva. Glancing right from Vallejos, then a left lands better. Ripping punch from Silva, but then Vallejos blasts him with hard punches. Silva roaring at him as he fights through adversity. Vallejos scores again with a solid punch though.
Knee strike for Silva. Righr hook for Vallejos. They clinch up then break free. Jab for Silva. Punches off the guard from Vallejos. Grazing right and left from Vallejos.
Left hand to the body for Vallejos. Silva pressing forward but Vallejos wards him off with a right hand. More rips to the body from Vallejos. He lands upstairs too, but Silva keeps returning fire. Silva threatening with knees.
Silva wants them to go toe-to-toe late in the fight, but Vallejos is getting the better of the exchanges that follow, landing several solid right hands. Silva has a strong chin though and eats them.
Decision
A competitive fight throughout then, but Vallejos had the crisper, more impactful boxing and was willing to mix in some brief clinch work and takedowns too in order to ensure he emerges with a unanimous decision victory (29-28, 30-27 x2).
