Despite just recently cracking the featherweight top-15, ahead of UFC Jacksonville this weekend, undefeated featherweight contender, Ilia Topuria is fast closing a heavy betting favorite to defeat former interim title challenger, Josh Emmett.
Topuria, who improved to 13-0 as a professional last time out, managed to turn in a dominant victory over the highly-touted contender, Bryce Mitchell, defeating the submission grappler with an eventual second round arm-triangle submission win of his own – earning his second consecutive Performance of the Night bonus.
As for Emmett, the current number five ranked contender has yet to return to action since co-headlining UFC 284 back in February in Perth, Australia – suffering a second round triangle choke submission loss to Yair Rodríguez in the pair’s interim title showdown.
And despite working his way to an interim title fight with Mexican striker, Rodríguez, Emmett is closing as a heavy betting underdog at +260 over at BetWay to defeat Topuria, with the Georgian finisher closing as a decent betting favorite as high as -330.
Forced the distance just once throughout his thirteen fight professional career, Topuria, who has been tipped to fight for featherweight gold in the future, only failed to land a victory by way of finish against Youssef Zalal in his promotional debut back in October 2020 on ‘Fight Island’.
A veteran of both Cage Warriors, and Brave CF before his eventual transition to the UFC, Topuria has racked up consecutive knockout wins over the trio of Damon Jackson, Ryan Hall, and then Jai Herbert at the lightweight limit before his submission win over Arkansas native, Mitchell in December of last year in the final flagship event of the year for the UFC.
Retaining his top-5 rank in the division despite his triangle choke submission loss to Rodríguez back in February in Perth, Australia – Emmett had enjoyed a run of five consecutive wins en route to his interim championship siege.
18-3 as a professional, the Arizona native, who turned 38 years of age back in March of this year, landed a stunning one-punch KO win over Michael Johnson back in 2019 to kick start his title run.
In successive victories since, Emmett dispatched Mirsad Bektic with a knockout win, before turning in a trio of decision successes over Shane Burgos, recent winner, Dan Ige, and perennial contender, Kattar in a close, San Antonio main event decision win.
The night’s co-headliner is also set to receive substantial action, as Brazilian grappler, Amanda Ribas takes on former Dana White’s Contender Series feature, Maycee Barber in a co-main event bout at the flyweight limit.
In the midst of a five-fight winning run since dropping a loss against current flyweight champion, Alexa Grasso, Barber last turned in a split decision win over Andrea Lee in March, however, is closing as a +160 betting underdog to defeat Minas Gerais native, Ribas, who is closing as a -200 betting favorite.
The current number nine ranked flyweight contender, Ribas’ most recently returned to the winner’s enclosure against compatriot, Viviane Araujo at UFC 285 back in March at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.