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#4. Josh Emmett vs. Yair Rodríguez
Josh Emmett is now just one spot below Yair Rodríguez in the UFC featherweight rankings. With both men vying for a championship opportunity, you might think these men squaring off would be a logical next step. However, it still feels a little unlikely at the moment.
Rodríguez will face Brian Ortega on July 16 in a big-time, top-five clash in the division. Should Rodriguez win and Volkanovski defend against Holloway, the Mexican fighter would likely secure the next title shot. However, if Volkanovski were to move up to 155 pounds, a fight with Emmett would then make sense.
With Volkanovski increasingly vocal about wanting to test himself at lightweight, that could very well be the scenario the weight class ends up in. However, given that Rodríguez would have to win and all the other factors that would have to fall into place, it's not very likely that he will be Emmett's next opponent.
#3. Josh Emmett vs. Brian Ortega
Next up is the man who will face Yair Rodríguez in Long Island. Brian Ortega is in a largely similar position in the featherweight division to Rodríguez, although the former is currently the favorite to win. That factor alone explains why it seems slightly more likely that Ortega could be Emmett's next opponent.
On top of that reasoning, Ortega recently took on Volkanvoski in a fight of the year contender at UFC 266. He also suffered a fairly one-sided loss to Max Holloway somewhat recently, meaning he may not be in line for a title shot with a win. This significantly increases his chances of facing Emmett following an Ortega victory.
Obviously there are still a number of variables at play here, and a loss for Ortega on July 16 would ensure the Emmett fight would likely not be next. With a number of things needing to fall in place for this match-up to happen, it again seems somewhat unlikely that Emmett will fight Ortega next.
