Josh Emmett practically sent literal shockwaves throughout the mixed martial arts (MMA) world at UFC 296 this past month (Dec. 16, 2023).
The last UFC pay-per-view (PPV) event of 2023 unfortunately took a few hits to its lineup before fight night arrived, including a Featherweight match up between perennial contenders, Emmett and Giga Chikadze. The Georgian striking sensation, Chikadze, suffered a torn groin in training, which led to Bryce Mitchell filling in his place on short notice.
Mitchell entered the bout as a surprisingly large betting favorite around the -200 mark to Emmett’s +200 underdog status. In the end, Emmett dramatically spoiled the oddsmakers’ night when he landed a nuclear punch square in the center of Mitchell’s face to score one of the most violent knockouts seen in quite some time (watch highlights). The win got Emmett back in the win column after a two-fight skid, and now he has a big name in mind to follow it up.
“I want to get back to that title, that’s my goal,” Emmett said on the JAXXON PODCAST (h/t MMA Junkie). “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 continued. “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.”
The former champion, Holloway, has essentially been viewed as a titlist without a crown since his rematch with the current divisional kingpin, Alexander Volkanovski, in July 2020. Holloway’s only losses in the division since 2013 (21-6 at Featherweight, 25-7 overall) have come against Volkanovski and he’s rebounded off a loss in their trilogy with two strong wins over top contenders, Arnold Allen and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung.