Josh Emmett made another callout to Max Holloway in hopes of getting to the title shot as soon as possible, especially now that he’s 38.
Emmett snapped his two-fight skid from Ilia Topuria and Yair Rodriguez after winning a KO over Bryce Mitchell at UFC 296. The success not only gave him the $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus but also the praise of the MMA world after his last shot sent the opponent into convulsion.
After this success, “CCO” received a callout from Giga Chikadze, who was supposed to fight him. However, Emmett declined and explained that fighting those at the lower rank is just “high, high risk for not a whole lot of reward.” The fighter then named Holloway as his target, noting that the No. 1-ranked fighter’s record and past opponents make him the perfect path to the title shot.
“Besides [Alexander] Volkanovski, I think [Max Holloway] is one of the best featherweights of all time,” Emmett said in December. “But Max has beat everybody. The only person who has his number is Volkanovski, so he’s the No. 1 contender. He’s cleared out pretty much everyone in the division and fought everyone but myself. It would be an honor to fight him, and that’s a sure shot to the title. Going in and beating him, there’s nothing left but to fight for the title.”
Unfortunately, it appears Emmett still hasn’t received any response regarding the matter. As such, the fighter has decided to echo his words.
“I want to get back to that title; that’s my goal,” Emmett told JAXXON PODCAST recently. “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’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.”
Holloway is currently the only fighter in the top 5 of the featherweight division to have no fight booked. Emmett’s demand is logical since “Blessed” has already faced Volkanovski thrice, and all of the Top 5 fighters in the rank except Topuria. After defeating Chan Sun Jung and Arnold Allen, the veteran boasts a two-fight winning streak. However, with Topuria set to challenge Volkanovski this February (and the rest of the Top 5 fighters with fights booked), he still has to wait months to get another shot at the title. As such, to remain active, Emmett’s proposal could be the best option for him now.
