Vallejos, 24, had a stupendous first calendar year in the UFC, so much so that he earned MMA Junkie's 2025 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year award. He debuted with a knockout of Seung Woo Choi, defeated Danny Silva by unanimous decision, and then turned in a spectacular spinning backfist knockout of promotion-ranked Giga Chikadze.

Fierce featherweights headline #UFCVegas114 💪 @JoshEmmettUFC vs @ElChinoVallejos is your main event! [ SAT March 14 | LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/xKO4FhyDmQ

The 34-year-old came into 2025 on two-fight skid after he dropped back-to-back decisions to former middleweight titleholders Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker but got back on track when he defeated Roman Kopylov at UFC 318, and Costa currently sits at #13 in the promotion’s middleweight rankings.

Martinez (13-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) scored the biggest win of his career when he defeated perennial contender Rob Font on short notice at UFC Fight Night 259. The 27-year-old is on a nine-fight winning streak. Marlon Vera will look to rebound against a rising contender.