Josh Emmett called out by British fighter on a streak - "If your in need of a dance partner at 145"
A fighter with a number next to him always has a target on his back and Josh Emmett is no exception to this rule.
The sixth-ranked UFC featherweight is coming off back-to-back losses in his most recent fights. This is usually the best time for rising contenders to get a ranked opponent to accept the fight.
Unranked fighters or those at the tail end of the top fifteen do not get frequent opportunities to climb the rankings ladder in the stacked UFC featherweight division.
Streaking 145lbs fighter Nathaniel Wood has all the momentum on his side following a win over Andre Fili at the last weekend's UFC London card. Wood tried to get Josh Emmett’s attention and called him out on Twitter for a fight.
@JoshEmmettUFCIf your in need of a dance partner at 145 👋 @JoshEmmettUFC
“If your in need of a dance partner at 145 @JoshEmmettUFC,” Nathaniel Wood tweeted.
Team Alpha male standout Josh Emmett’s UFC run started at a relatively older age. He made the UFC debut at the ripe age of 30, but eventually worked his way up to the interim title shot against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 284 this past February. Emmett lost the fight via submission which temporarily ended his title aspirations.
In his most recent fight, the 38-year-old fought a much younger and dangerous Ilia Topuria on June 24. Emmett displayed the heart of a lion and survived a systematic beatdown, but ended up losing the fight via unanimous decision.
Nathaniel Wood’s callout may not get a response from Emmett as he is onto something already.
Josh Emmett wants to ‘put away’ a highly touted British lightweight
Josh Emmett is an old-school guy that gives full respect to his opponents - outside the octagon of course! But he’s always up for a good scrap and doesn’t mind switching divisions for that either.
While speaking to the media ahead of UFC London, lightweight fighter Paddy Pimblett was asked about his reaction to Emmett vs Topuria. Pimblett dismissed Emmett as someone he could 'finish in sleep' to discredit archrival Ilia Topuria’s performance.
In a recent interview with InsideFighting, Emmett responded to Pimblett’s comments and expressed his willingness to 'put him away'. Emmett believes that Pimblett is a witty guy that says things to create hype. However, he is not opposed to the idea of moving up in weight if Pimblett is ready to take the fight.
Josh Emmett said:
“You know, I would put him away. I’ll be down to go up to lightweight and do that if the UFC would allow it or he would want to do it. But yes, I’m here. I’ve never turned a fight down and I will be more than willing to go up to lightweight if he wants to do it”
Josh Emmett says he’s down to move up to 155 and fight Paddy Pimblett after the comments Paddy made earlier today, and thinks The Baddy would be “put away” by both himself and Ilia Topuria. @joshemmettufc (Via: Inside Fighting’s @frontrowemedia) pic.twitter.com/jtJmIkYAxZ
Paddy Pimblett is currently recovering from an ankle injury sustained in his last fight against Jared Gordon at UFC 282 in December 2022. The date of his return is not known, however, Josh Emmett can be a really good opponent for ‘Baddy’s return.