Josh Emmett knows he’s reaching the end of his MMA career with his age. With this, the soon-to-be 39-year-old wants to get the chance to fight for the title as soon as possible. For him, the path leading there is the No. 1 Max Holloway.
Emmett’s performance at UFC 296 is undeniably remarkable after sending Bryce Mitchell into a convulsion. This led him to his KO win at the 1:57 mark of Round 1. The victory not only boosted his standing in the ranking but also gave him the confidence to make the callout for his next fight.
With his age, Emmett wants to reach the top as soon as possible, and he has the right target for that: Holloway. The No. 1 fighter is the only choice in the Top 5 ranking with no fight booked. With this, Emmett knows there are no other reasons why Holloway could turn down his proposal.
“[I want to fight] whoever’s going to get me to that title shot,” Emmett said in an interview on The MMA Hour. “This is my last run at the title. I’m doing everything I need to do. I’ll fight whoever I need to, to get to that title. I’d like to fight someone in the top three, No. 1 contender, whoever it is just to get me there.
“[Alexander] Volkanovski and Ilia [Topuria] are fighting in February. In a perfect world, I’d want the winner of that, but I know I need to fight someone at the very top of the crop to get back to where I was earlier.”
Aside from being the only option available, Emmett acknowledged that a win over Holloway would cement his claim for the title shot due to the fighter’s record. “Blessed” has already faced the biggest names in the division, including Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor, Charles Oliveira, Yair Rodriguez, Arnold Allen, Brian Ortega, and Volkanovski.
“Max was — besides Volkanovski — he’s one of the best featherweights of all time. That was Max’s position, but I just feel like Max has beat everybody. The only person that has his number is Volkanovski. So he is the No. 1 contender. He’s cleared out pretty much everyone in the division and fought everyone in the featherweight division but myself.
“It would be an honor to fight him. That’s like a sure shot to the title. You go in and beat him, there’s nothing left but to fight for the title. If that’s what the UFC wants to do, hey, let’s do it. I want to fight whoever’s going to get me the title shot, and Max, he is the No. 1 contender.”
