Josh
Emmett is hoping to make his way to a title shot by taking on
former
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight king Max
Holloway next.
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A long-time Top 10 featherweight, Emmett (19-4) was on the way to
championship contention with a five-fight win streak back in 2022.
However, he had his momentum halted courtesy of Yair
Rodriguez in an interim title fight at UFC 284, followed by a
decision loss against Ilia
Topuria, who is set to challenge Alexander
Volkanovski for the crown at
UFC 298 on Feb. 17.
The Phoenix native returned to the win column at
UFC 296 last month against Bryce
Mitchell, who replaced an injured Giga
Chikadze on short notice. Emmett put “Thug Nasty” to sleep with
an overhand right in the opening frame. The scene captured
Sherdog’s 2023 “Knockout
of the Year” honors.
“I don’t care who was in front of me, I was going in there to put
someone away and get my hand raised and end 2023 on a high note,”
the 38-year-old said on the Jaxxon podcast. “I had a tough year. I
fought for the interim title earlier this year, then I had a tough
fight [Topuria] and he’s fighting for the title. I just wanted to
get back in the win column. I didn’t give a damn who was in front
of me.”
Currently ranked No. 6 at 145 pounds, Emmett is now eyeing a
matchup with former champ Holloway, who he believes should be his
only hurdle to a title shot.
“I want to get back to that title, that’s my goal. I’m going to do
whatever it takes to become a world champion, and I want to fight
someone in front of me.”
“In my opinion, the clearest shot to the title — and it would be
the toughest fight as well — give me Max Holloway. He’s the No. 1
contender. I think it’s the right fight at the right time. That’s
what I want. He was a phenomenal champion in and out of the
Octagon. He’s a huge name, and he’s cleared out the entire
division. He’s fought everyone but me; let’s do it.”
Meanwhile, Holloway (25-7) has fought most at the top of the
division, barring Emmett and Topuria. “Blessed” fought twice in
2023, defeating Arnold
Allen via unanimous decision in April before knocking out
promotional veteran and fan favorite Chan Sung
Jung in August.