Few saw it coming, but Josh Emmett made the most of a big chance against featherweight stalwart Ricardo Lamas at UFC Winnipeg.
The co-main event of Saturday’s UFC on FOX 26 saw top featherweight Ricardo Lamas taking on Josh Emmett. While it wasn’t the originally promised match-up of ex-champ Jose Aldo opposite Lamas in the cage, it was still an opportunity for Lamas to work his way back to a title shot in the 145lb division.
For Emmett, meanwhile, stepping up to fill in for Aldo resulted in the biggest opportunity of his career. It also wound up being his biggest win, despite missing weight for the fight.
Early in the fight, the pair were active on the feet. Ricardo Lamas did damage with leg kicks early, with a big outside leg kick in particular landing with a crack. ‘The Bully’ looked like he might have the advantage, but Emmett wasn’t discouraged. Towards the end of the first round, standing and trading with Lamas, he landed a huge left hook right on the chin of his opponent. Lamas had started the sequence with another outside leg kick; Emmett fired back with a right hand that missed. Then came the left. Lamas immediately hit the floor, out. Just like that, Emmett had the knockout victory.
After the bout, Emmett apologized for not making weight.
Josh Emmett def. Ricardo Lamas by knockout, Round 1, 4:33
