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Undefeated UFC featherweight Ilia Topuria is expected to face Josh Emmett in a highly-anticipated matchup next. Many in the MMA community have touted Topuria as a future UFC featherweight champion. Meanwhile, Emmett is a veteran MMA fighter who recently competed in an interim UFC featherweight title bout.
The Topuria-Emmett fight was initially scheduled to headline the UFC Fight Night 226 event on June 17th, 2023. However, it's now being reported that the much-awaited showdown will headline the UFC Fight Night 227 event aka the UFC Jacksonville event on June 24th, 2023.
As reported by MMA journalist Alvaro Colmenero, the Topuria-Emmett five-round main event matchup is in the works to be booked as the UFC Jacksonville headliner. Colmenero tweeted:
"🚨Breaking🚨 Per sources, the main event Ilia Topuria vs Josh Emmett is in the works to be moved to June 24 in Jacksonville. It would be 5 rounds with fans in the arena. #UFC #IliaTopuria #JoshEmmett #UFCJacksonville"
The 26-year-old Ilia Topuria boasts an undefeated professional MMA record of 13 wins and 0 losses. The Georgian-Spanish athlete has competed in the bantamweight, featherweight, and lightweight divisions in his career thus far.
On the other hand, the 38-year-old Josh Emmett holds a professional MMA record of 18 victories and 3 defeats. The American fighter has fought in the featherweight and lightweight divisions over the course of his career.
Rising UFC star Ilia Topuria on his upcoming fight against Josh Emmett
Presently, Ilia Topuria holds the No.9 spot in the UFC's official featherweight rankings, whereas Josh Emmett stands at No.5. Topuria's most recent fight witnessed him defeat Bryce Mitchell via second-round submission in December 2022.
As for Emmett, he's coming off a second-round submission loss against Yair Rodriguez in their interim UFC featherweight title fight that took place in February 2023.
Speaking to Carlos Contreras Legaspi of ESPN Deportes, Ilia Topuria recently opened up about his upcoming fight against Josh Emmett. He suggested that Emmett should be proud to fight a superstar like him. Furthermore, indicating that he'll likely finish Emmett in the first round, Topuria stated:
"Josh Emmett has nothing to lose. He's fighting a superstar. He'll be proud to share the cage with me for the rest of his life. He'll tell his kids that he was there with me one time."
He added:
"He's perfect to be finished in the first round. His style matches with mine in a way that I will shine that night. My only concern is that he shows up on the night of the fight."
Watch Topuria discuss the topic in the video below:
