Later this year, Luke Riley will step into the Octagon at the UFC APEX to fight for a spot in the UFC, and his teammate is backing him to deliver a huge performance and earn his place on the big stage.
On September 24, Riley is all set to take on Argentina’s 13-1 Kevin Vallejos, who is getting his second bite of the Contender Series cherry after losing a decision to Jean Silva at the UFC APEX last September.
But regular watchers of Riley will know that the Englishman will step into the cage unintimidated as he looks to make the leap to the world stage with a big win.
One man who knows Riley well is his teammate and Oktagon lightweight contender Shem Rock, who shares the mats with Riley at Liverpool’s Next Generation MMA gym.
Speaking at Cage Warriors 175, Rock said fans who tune in to watch Riley’s appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series will be in for a treat, with his teammate ready to put on a big performance to earn him a roster spot in the UFC.
“The top two Cage Warriors fights of the year, on UFC Fight Pass – that just speaks volumes,” said Rock, who referred to Riley’s two stellar showings in 2023 against Alexander Loof and Kallum Parker that finished first and second in Cage Warriors’ 2023 Fight of the Year list.
His victory over Loof – a standing TKO finish in the third round of a wild featherweight shootout at Cage Warriors 160 – was the best fight seen in Cage Warriors last year, and one of the best in the promotion’s history.
It’s that fighting style that Rock says will have attracted the interest of the UFC’s matchmakers, who booked Riley to face Vallejos on September 24 in Las Vegas.
“Dana White’s not paying for visas for UK people to come to America and fight for no reason,” said Rock.
“You’ve got to be standing out from the crowd, and Luke Riley is the epitome of standing out from the crowd.
“Every fight he has is a real technical barnburner – a war, where nine times out of 10 he’s not taking much damage, and they are. So everyone wants to watch him fight.
“He’s also got that aura about him, a bit of the ‘Paddy the Baddy’ style. He’s a big fan favourite. I train with him every day, and I can only vouch for how skilled he is – not only as a striker, but as a mixed martial artist. He can do it all.”
