Josh Emmett and Lerone Murphy seek a statement win in the wide-open featherweight division. Emmett and Murphy headline UFC Fight Night on Saturday, one week before Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes fight for control of the vacant featherweight title.
Emmett (19-4) is a curious case. He delivered an all-time visually spectacular knockout against Bryce Mitchell, then disappeared for 15 months. Emmett, 40, needed time to heal various injuries but wouldn’t elaborate on his troubles. The Mitchell win was a needed remedy after consecutive losses to former interim champion Yair Rodriguez and former undisputed champion Ilia Topuria.
“I want to be a featherweight world champion,” Emmett told CBS Sports. “I owe it to myself, wife, coaches, UFC and fans. I’m 100%. I’ve been training the way used to train and I’ll fight the way I used to fight. For the last handful of years, I haven’t been at my best.
“I’ve been a fraction of myself. It’ll show on Saturday. Once you see how I move and fight, you’ll know something is different.”
Check out the full interview with Josh Emmett below.
Murphy’s featherweight rise is a slow burn. That’s still true as he likely hopes to graduate from No. 10 to No. 8 in the…
