There’s a new player in town at 145lbs, a division that remains one of the most stacked in the UFC.
The 145lb division got a shake up a few weeks ago when Josh Emmett KO’ed Ricardo Lamas at UFC on FOX 26. He said he was going to shock the world and that’s exactly what he did. Sacramento’s own Josh Emmett may be a humble and modest man outside of the cage but inside the octagon, Emmett is looking to prove he is the best in the world. People just don’t know it yet.
Cageside Press caught up with Alpha Male star to talk about his huge victory over Lamas, who he would like next, and more.
As good as Emmett is, he flew under the radar to the everyday fan, that is until now. How have things changed for the lifelong Californian? “Well its definitely been different” said Emmett regarding his upset victory over Lamas.
“It’s right back to the gym and back to work for me though, Urijah [Faber] told me a long time ago that I’m one of the best fighters in the world, just nobody knows it yet.”
After his huge upset victory its safe to say more people know who Emmett is now.
The Alpha Male product did something that most fighters only dream of. He went from unranked to number five in the world with one perfectly placed left hand.
Some MMA prognosticators were asking why Emmett was on this grand of a stage, and to that Emmett says, “I was the only guy that was willing to take the fight against Ricardo on short notice at that weight {145}.”
Emmett added, “They [UFC] asked every guy ranked up until me and not one guy wanted the fight, that’s why I got the fight. I’ve never turned down a fight.”
Clearly Emmett belongs at the top of the division, but what about the critics that say he should run it back with Lamas? After all Emmett did miss weight by two and a half pounds.
“Ricardo is a standup guy, he didn’t have to take the fight with me, but he did. In my eyes, I just knocked out the number three guy in the world, I’m looking to what’s next, but I’ll give Lamas a rematch if I have to.”
“As far as the missed weight, that’s the first time I have ever missed weight for anything in my life, and it will never happen again. But two pounds was not the reason I won that fight.”
Emmett is a man of good character, and as he said this was his first-time missing weight, so we think he should get the benefit of the doubt on this one.
So now that the Alpha Male standout has had some time to let his big win sink in, who would he like next? “That’s a good question,” said Emmett.
“I kind of have it figured out,” Emmett continued half-jokingly.
“Frankie [Edgar] is supposed to be fighting Max [Holloway] for the title, so that leaves me and Brian Ortega to fight in a title elimination tournament so to speak.”
That would leave Jose Aldo out of the immediate title plans, but you have to like where Emmett was going with that thought process. Either way, whether Emmett has to run it back with Lamas or he gets his wish against Ortega, it’s going to be interesting to see where this California Kid can take his MMA career.
