5 fights that could be next for Josh Emmett
Josh Emmett scored the biggest win of his career last weekend when he defeated Calvin Kattar via split decision at UFC Austin. In his post-fight interview, he called for a title shot, and while he may not get that opportunity right away, he will definitely receive a big-time fight for his next bout.
#UFCAustin Official Scorecard: Calvin Kattar vs Josh Emmett (@JoshEmmettUFC)
All Tonight's Scorecards: ufc.com/news/official-… https://t.co/3pzPT9vJ33
Emmett has beaten the likes of Shane Burgos and Dan Ige, but Calvin Kattar is definitely the biggest name he's defeated. The result was incredibly close, with the judges scoring opposite each other in multiple rounds. While some of the MMA community have disagreed with the decision, ultimately Emmett's forward pressure earned him the victory.
Emmett is now in the top five in the division, having moved up to number four in the rankings on the back of his victory. The four men above him are all scheduled to face each other in the coming weeks, making it difficult to predict who he will fight in his next bout.
Here are five fights that could be next for Josh Emmett:
#5. Josh Emmett vs. Alexander Volkanovski
As mentioned above, Josh Emmett called for a title shot after his win last weekend. The current champion is Alexander Volkanovski, so it may come as a surprise that this fight does not rank higher on this list. In truth, there is likely not enough demand to see this fight for the UFC to make it next.
Josh Emmett makes his case for the Volkanovski vs. Holloway 3 winner 🏆
#UFC276 | Read more: bit.ly/3nfTWEs https://t.co/0463t2PULH
Volkanovski will defend his title against Max Holloway on July 2. If he wins that fight, he will further his argument as one of the most dominant champions in the UFC. Were this the case, he would likely be more interested in taking on a bigger name like Yair Rodriguez, or perhaps even moving up to lightweight, rather than facing Emmett.
So the more likely path to this match-up is a Volkanovski loss leading to an interim title fight, or Emmett stepping in for an injured Holloway on July 2. Given that neither of these seem particularly likely, don't expect Emmett's next opponent to be the current champion.