UFC on FOX 22: Sociology degree vs. Psychology degree, part 2- Home turf

Bachelor of Psychology and UFC lightweight Josh Emmett spoke with Bloody Elbow about his Liberal Arts degree, his gruesome UFC injury, and his UFC on FOX 22 opponent Scott Holtzman.

Undefeated UFC lightweight and Team Alpha Male member Josh Emmett is set for a home game in Sacramento as he faces Scott “Hot Sauce” Holtzman at UFC on FOX 22 this Saturday night. Before defending his home turf, Emmett spoke with Bloody Elbow about his Psychology degree, his 4-day notice UFC debut, and assesses his upcoming opponent.

Bachelors degree in Sociology:

“I got my bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Menlo College, where I went down and wrestled there. I wanted to get my degree first, you know, just in case the fighting thing didn’t work out. I always wanted to do it and I also know I’d get better at wrestling. So, I went down there, put in some time, got my degree, and got better at wrestling too.”

Happy Wife, Happy Life:

“It’s kind of a rough road, as far as just financially, but she is one of my biggest supporters. She’s watched me wrestle through college and all that type of stuff. I told her I wanted to do this and she said, ‘go for it.’ We kind of like, back-and-forth help each other out. While I was going to school and wrestling, getting my degree, she was working full-time so she could help pay for some of the bills. I got out and she still has that job, so she’s been kind of supporting us, but we own a CrossFit gym as well so that helps out.”

UFC Debut in the Netherlands on 4 days notice:

“I had never been out of the country before, but luckily I had my passport because when my wife and I got married, we got our passports because we wanted to go to Europe for a honeymoon, but ended up just going to Hawaii. So luckily I had that because it was on a 4-day notice. I got the call from Joe Silva; he asked if I wanted to fight in the Netherlands. I was like, ‘Of course’ and then asked him when it was and he was like, ‘It’s this Saturday.’ I was like, ‘Oh, wow.’ So I had to hop on a plane the next day and fill out all of this paperwork, fly across the world and then I fought. It was a dream come true. It was an awesome vacation. We got to travel Europe and go to Germany and Amsterdam and all that after the fight. As far as my performance, I got to show people that I belong in the UFC.”

Almost losing a finger to a Jon Tuck wheel kick:

“It was one of the worst hand injuries in UFC history, but even though that happened, I wasn’t going to let a finger get in the way of me winning. So, I was kind of hiding the finger from the ref and I didn’t want the doctor to come in. I was just trying to have the best poker face as possible, but it hurt like hell.”

Shoulder Injury postpones sophomore scrap:

“I was doing a light little grappling session, and it was just a freak accident. The person I was going with had butterfly guard, they lifted me to kind of sweep me and I had no post, and I landed straight on my shoulder and I separated my AC joint; I tore the ligaments.”

Home game in Sacramento:

“I’m super stoked to be fighting in my hometown of Sacramento. It’s honestly been a dream of mine. I’ve been a fan of the UFC for so long time. I actually got a picture when I think [Georges] St-Pierre fought Matt Hughes, and they fought in ARCO Arena in like 2006, 2007. I was at that fight and I got a picture in front of the cage and I was like, ‘one day.’ Come 10 years later, it’s actually a reality. What makes it even better, is I’m going to be fighting at the brand new Golden 1 Center right in downtown Sacramento. It’s like a state of the art facility. It’s like the gold standard for NBA arenas now. It’s like the best arena in the country right now.”

Thoughts on fighting fellow Liberal Arts major Scott Holtzman:

“We didn’t even have sociology degrees, just business and psychology. Even looking at the stats, it’s like a lot of our stuff, we have the same reach as our legs, our hands. He’s just an inch taller than me. Even our percentages; we have the same KO/TKO ratio, the same decision, the same sub. It’s kind of crazy because it’s going to be almost like, not fighting myself, but as close as that gets. I just think we’re both real athletic. He played pro hockey. I think he played baseball in college and same thing with me. It’s going to be just a crazy fight.”

Check out hometown fighter Josh Emmett take on the 9-1 lightweight Scott “Hot Sauce” Holtzman at UFC on FOX 22 in Sacramento, California on December 17, 2016. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for all of your UFC event coverage including interviews, play-by-play, highlights, and more!

Bachelor of Psychology and UFC lightweight Josh Emmett spoke with Bloody Elbow about his Liberal Arts degree, his gruesome UFC injury, and his UFC on FOX 22 opponent Scott Holtzman.

Undefeated UFC lightweight and Team Alpha Male member Josh Emmett is set for a home game in Sacramento as he faces Scott “Hot Sauce” Holtzman at UFC on FOX 22 this Saturday night. Before defending his home turf, Emmett spoke with Bloody Elbow about his Psychology degree, his 4-day notice UFC debut, and assesses his upcoming opponent.

Bachelors degree in Sociology:

“I got my bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Menlo College, where I went down and wrestled there. I wanted to get my degree first, you know, just in case the fighting thing didn’t work out. I always wanted to do it and I also know I’d get better at wrestling. So, I went down there, put in some time, got my degree, and got better at wrestling too.”

Happy Wife, Happy Life:

“It’s kind of a rough road, as far as just financially, but she is one of my biggest supporters. She’s watched me wrestle through college and all that type of stuff. I told her I wanted to do this and she said, ‘go for it.’ We kind of like, back-and-forth help each other out. While I was going to school and wrestling, getting my degree, she was working full-time so she could help pay for some of the bills. I got out and she still has that job, so she’s been kind of supporting us, but we own a CrossFit gym as well so that helps out.”

UFC Debut in the Netherlands on 4 days notice:

“I had never been out of the country before, but luckily I had my passport because when my wife and I got married, we got our passports because we wanted to go to Europe for a honeymoon, but ended up just going to Hawaii. So luckily I had that because it was on a 4-day notice. I got the call from Joe Silva; he asked if I wanted to fight in the Netherlands. I was like, ‘Of course’ and then asked him when it was and he was like, ‘It’s this Saturday.’ I was like, ‘Oh, wow.’ So I had to hop on a plane the next day and fill out all of this paperwork, fly across the world and then I fought. It was a dream come true. It was an awesome vacation. We got to travel Europe and go to Germany and Amsterdam and all that after the fight. As far as my performance, I got to show people that I belong in the UFC.”

Almost losing a finger to a Jon Tuck wheel kick:

“It was one of the worst hand injuries in UFC history, but even though that happened, I wasn’t going to let a finger get in the way of me winning. So, I was kind of hiding the finger from the ref and I didn’t want the doctor to come in. I was just trying to have the best poker face as possible, but it hurt like hell.”

Shoulder Injury postpones sophomore scrap:

“I was doing a light little grappling session, and it was just a freak accident. The person I was going with had butterfly guard, they lifted me to kind of sweep me and I had no post, and I landed straight on my shoulder and I separated my AC joint; I tore the ligaments.”

Home game in Sacramento:

“I’m super stoked to be fighting in my hometown of Sacramento. It’s honestly been a dream of mine. I’ve been a fan of the UFC for so long time. I actually got a picture when I think [Georges] St-Pierre fought Matt Hughes, and they fought in ARCO Arena in like 2006, 2007. I was at that fight and I got a picture in front of the cage and I was like, ‘one day.’ Come 10 years later, it’s actually a reality. What makes it even better, is I’m going to be fighting at the brand new Golden 1 Center right in downtown Sacramento. It’s like a state of the art facility. It’s like the gold standard for NBA arenas now. It’s like the best arena in the country right now.”

Thoughts on fighting fellow Liberal Arts major Scott Holtzman:

“We didn’t even have sociology degrees, just business and psychology. Even looking at the stats, it’s like a lot of our stuff, we have the same reach as our legs, our hands. He’s just an inch taller than me. Even our percentages; we have the same KO/TKO ratio, the same decision, the same sub. It’s kind of crazy because it’s going to be almost like, not fighting myself, but as close as that gets. I just think we’re both real athletic. He played pro hockey. I think he played baseball in college and same thing with me. It’s going to be just a crazy fight.”

Check out hometown fighter Josh Emmett take on the 9-1 lightweight Scott “Hot Sauce” Holtzman at UFC on FOX 22 in Sacramento, California on December 17, 2016. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for all of your UFC event coverage including interviews, play-by-play, highlights, and more!