UFC featherweight Josh Emmett doesn't want to fight Alexander Volkanovski out of gratitude

Josh Emmett recently expressed his appreciation for Alexander Volkanovski and lauded the reigning featherweight champion for playing a part in making his interim featherweight title fight against Yair Rodriguez happen. UFC 284 will go down at the RAC Arena in Perth this Saturday, with two championship fights on showcase.

As the 34-year-old Aussie moved up a weight class to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight belt in the headliner of UFC 284, the promotion booked an incredible co-headlining interim 145-pound championship contest between Josh Emmett and Yair Rodriguez.

In a recent pre-fight press conference, the 37-year-old American thanked 'The Great' for encouraging the interim title fight and even claimed he wouldn't want to fight him if it came to it:

"He was campaigning for this interim title so I can't thank the guy enough. After I went on Sunday morning... I don't even want to fight the guy, he's such a good guy. We're so similar."

Volkanovski jumped in with a quick observation for the Australian fans, saying:

"What better way to have these guys face off and build up my next fight at featherweight?... Aussies get to see what's next for me in the featherweight division after what we do on Sunday."

Watch the full interview below:

---

Jamahal Hill breaks down Josh Emmett and Yair Rodriguez ahead of interim UFC featherweight title fight

Yair Rodriguez vs. Josh Emmett is one of the most exciting matchups scheduled to take place on the main card of UFC 284 this weekend. The two featherweights will clash inside the cage for the interim UFC featherweight title, and Jamahal Hill recently analyzed how either of them could win.

'El Pantera' and 'CC0' are both coming off wins against Brian Ortega and Calvin Kattar, respectively, setting them up for arguably the biggest fight of their careers. The winner will be next in line to face Alexander Volkanovski, who is chasing the coveted champ-champ status against Islam Makhachev.

In a recent interview with James Lynch, the new light heavyweight champion discussed the upcoming interim UFC featherweight title fight and insisted that both Josh Emmett and Yair Rodriguez have a clear path to victory in this outing.

"If it goes to decision, I'd probably have to go Yair, but Emmett, he throws those f***ing shots... One if he catches Yair, he's gonna drop him... Speed goes to Yair... If Yair's game plan is sticking and moving, then I'll probably go Yair. But if he thinks he's just going to go in and try to knock out Emmett or just try to bang with him, I'm going Josh Emmett."

Watch the full video below: