by Nickki Ciao
Josh Emmett looked absolutely spectacular in his last fight against rising prospect Shane Burgos.
Josh Emmett is a future title challenger at the UFC featherweight division
Josh Emmett looked absolutely spectacular in his last fight against rising prospect Shane Burgos. He made great use of his feet and landed several significant strikes during the fight. Emmett's chin held on to him as both the fighters exchanged strikes on multiple occasions throughout the fight, in what was a "Fight of the Night" performance bonus for both the fighters. With the victory, Emmett registered his third straight victory in the UFC featherweight division. Josh Emmett has notable victories over Michael Johnson and Ricardo Lamas, as well.
Emmett is quick on his feet and has a solid chin to complement his fighting style. His last loss inside the octagon came against top contender Jeremy Stephens in February of 2018. In his 9 fights under UFC, Emmett has emerged victorious on seven occasions. He has KO victories over both Johnson and Lamas and likes to keep the fight on the feet. Emmett is equally brilliant on the ground and has a solid submission game.
What's next for Josh Emmett?
Josh Emmett is currently ranked #7 in the UFC Featherweight rankings. With the top 5 fighters with a potential fight scheduled at some point in the future, Emmett is currently without an opponent. The idea of a rematch between Emmett and Stephens is also out of the question since it's being reported that Jeremy Stephens is expected to face Edson Barboza next.
Emmett is currently in a very precarious situation and it will be interesting to see who would be his next opponent. He sits below Calvin Kattar in the rankings, who has been very active in the last few months. 'The Boston Finisher' is coming off with big wins over Jeremy Stephens and Dan Ige and has called out Zabit Magomedsharipov for the #1 contender's match for the UFC Featherweight Championship. With Brian Ortega vs The Korean Zombie in the works and Yair Rodriguez out of his fight against Zabit Magomedsharipov due to injury, it's unlikely that Josh Emmett is facing an opponent ranked above him next.
With that being said, Josh Emmett stands as a serious threat to the entire division. He has shown his credibility in the past and performed brilliantly against Jeremy Stephens. He is on a 3 fight win streak and has looked phenomenal in the last couple of years. He is big and looks like a solid fighter at the Featherweight division, who could jump to lightweight if he wanted to. With just one loss in the featherweight division, Emmett stands as one of the most competitive fighters on the division. Both his last two fights have earned his performance bonuses, and Josh Emmett has looked impressive in his recent fights. He looks more improved and showed great patience in the match against Shane Burgos with a great performance despite injuring his knee early in the second round of the fight.
Josh Emmett is a credible opponent in the UFC featherweight division and will look to further cement his position by extending his winning streak. He matches well against strikers, and the featherweight division is dominated by strikers.
Originally appeared on https://www.sportskeeda.com/mma/josh-emmett-tough-match-up-fighter-featherweight-division