Two top featherweight contenders, Josh Emmett and Mirsad Bektic, clash at UFC Sacramento for the chance to enter the stacked contender group in the top five.
First reported by FloCombat’s Nolan King, savvy veteran Josh Emmett will face off against top prospect and top-15contender Mirsad Bektic. This rumbling is now a reality, and UFC Sacramento is gaining a huge fight in the featherweight division.
I can confirm that Josh Emmett (@JoshEmmettUFC) is slated to face Mirsad Bektic (@MirsadBekticMMA) at #UFCSacramento (July 13th) First reported by @mma_kings #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/McNZA6PjKv
— Farah Hannoun (@Farah_Hannoun) May 26, 2019
Mirsad Bektic was set to enter the Octagon back in December of 2018 in a fight that could have sent him into the top five of the division. The Bosnian star was forced out of his fight against Brazilian Renato Moicano due to injury. It has been over a year since we have seen the highly-touted featherweight prospect in the cage, his last appearance was a split decision victory over Ricardo Lamas.
Josh Emmett was on the receiving end of a vicious Jeremy Stephens KO at UFC Orlando in January of 2018. After being on the sidelines for nearly a year, dealing with the consequences of that KO, Emmett landed himself a huge knockout win over Michael Johnson at UFC Philadelphia. Now Emmett looks to again prove why he should never have been doubted as he takes on the mauling finishing artist in Bektic.
This fight could tell us a lot in the sense of what is next in the division. After champion Max Holloway defeated top contender Brian Ortega handily there was a lack of contenders who had not been defeated by Holloway. Now we see Frankie Edgar getting the title shot while Alexander Volkanovski continues to heal from his blood infection. A win for either of these men could enter their name on the short list of legitimate title contenders in the division. Maybe a win would not promise a title shot, but could very well entice a Jose Aldo, or Brian Ortega into a number-one contender bout down the line.
UFC Sacramento takes place on July 13 from the Golden One Center in California. While there is no main event quite yet, Urijah Faber announced he will come out of retirement to battle Ricky Simon in what is expected to be the co-main event.
