Josh Emmett made the trek to Las Vegas for the UFC 276 pay-per-view (PPV) card and expected to be a cageside spectator for the Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway featherweight co-main event title fight. After all, “The Fighting Falmer” is the winner of five straight and currently ranked No. 4 at 145 pounds.
Perhaps it was not unreasonable for Emmett to expect some camera time, a post-fight callout from the winner of Volkanovski vs. Holloway, or maybe even a visit to the UFC 276 analyst desk to share his scouting report with his fellow fighters. Unfortunately, the Team Alpha Male standout got none of the above.
“He had a really bad experience,” Emmett’s head coach, Urijah Faber, told MMA Junkie. “He was put way back in the seating, not even with the rest of the guys and had to find his way by himself upstairs because they have peons working security that are getting paid minimum wage that are like, ‘Hey, you can’t come this way.’ He was really upset that there wasn’t more made of the fact that he’s the guy in line. I’m going to talk to Dana (White) about it and talk to Hunter (Campbell) and let them know that it’s really bullshit. (We got) ghosted. It’s really sad and his wife was livid, he was livid and he was just like, ‘What do I have to do to get a little bit of respect?’ So Dana, I hope you see this and understand that it’s Josh’s time.”
Emmett (18-2) is coming off a split decision victory over fellow 145-pound bruiser Calvin Kattar, his first win over a featherweight ranked in the division Top 5. It also marked the third straight time Emmett has been to the judges’ scorecards, so it’s not like “The Fighting Falmer” has been making any kind of big statements over the last two years.
But surely his win streak is enough to earn some promotion?
“Last night he was like, ‘You know what, F this. I wish they’d just release me. I get no respect,’” Faber continued. “He’s like, ‘I think I’m going to drop down to ’35 and fight (Sean) O’Malley cause that’s who’s getting all the credit.’ He literally, if you look at his Instagram posted a picture from the rafters cause he kept getting moved to the MMA basement because of a miscommunication. They need to choose to promote him a little bit more. They need to give him the right opportunities and just be present. Josh’s wife said, ‘Look, it’s very apparent where we stand with the UFC. They don’t give a shit about us.’ Which is a shitty feeling.”
As of this writing, the 37 year-old Emmett remains unbooked.