UFC featherweight Josh Emmett says he’s looking to fight a higher-ranked opponent when he fully recovers from injury, brushing off “funny” matchmaking suggestions from fans.
#6-ranked featherweight Josh Emmet has spent the past year recovering from an eye-widening list of injuries sustained during his victory over Shane Burgos in June 2020. The 36-year-old suffered a torn ACL, an MCL sprain with partial tearing, a ruptured cyst, a focal impact fracture of the femur, and a chondral defect on his tibia.
Emmett battled well and truly through the pain barrier to claim a “Fight of the Night” bonus and his third successive win, having previously defeated Mirsad Bektic and Michael Johnson.
Josh Emmett Says He’ll Leave The Matchmaking To The UFC, Not The Fans
Now on the road to recovery after undergoing ACL surgery earlier this year, Josh Emmett told MMANews he’s optimistic of making his octagon return in 2021 against a higher ranked opponent.
However, he feels the prospect may be complicated by the inactivity of some in the division.
“I’ve always said I wanted to fight up, something that’s gonna get me closer to that shot. And it’s so tricky with the UFC. Yair hasn’t fought for two years. All these guys haven’t fought for quite some time. So it just depends. I’m just gonna have to sit back and kinda see who’s available and see who Sean [Shelby] and Dana offer me,” said Emmett.
And to all those unsolicited, typically misguided matchmaking suggestions he receives online, Emmett said that while he doesn’t mind, true fans of the sport know what’s up.
“Yeah, I see some of the stuff. It’s kind of funny. Any time there’s a featherweight fight, no matter what, it’s always ‘Josh should fight this guy,’ even if the guy is ranked last in the division and he gets a win, they’re like, ‘Hey, match him up with Josh.’ So I’m like, hey, yeah, that makes a lot of sense.
“But no, I don’t mind. There’s nothing I can do. And people that follow the sport and people that are fans of me and this sport, they clearly know that I’m injured, and not ready, or can’t take a short-notice fight and things like that. So it doesn’t bother me.”
Watch our full interview with Josh Emmett:
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