The bout between some of the greatest 145-pound division Octagon warriors, heavy-handed Ilia Topuria, and experienced UFC vet Josh Emmett will take place on June 17th, 2023, at the UFC fight night event. The number 5 featherweight contender meets number 9. Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming Topuria vs Emmett fight.
Topuria Vs Emmett: The Stakes Are High
Ilia could get into a title contention with this win, while Emmett might lose the chance to fight for the UFC 145-pound belt ever again with a loss. What do you think, who’ll leave the cage with his hand raised? Will this bout go the distance?
Topuria will try to press hard right off the bat, and Emmett could respond with great footwork and powerful punches. Emmett is not afraid of toe-to-toe exchanges, so we might watch a real slugfest between these two warriors. Emmett's chin is rock-solid. In the fight against Calvin Kattar, he ate tons of clean strikes to the jaw and remained on his feet.
Undefeated Ilia Topuria Looking To Extend Streak
Topuria arrived at the UFC 145-pound division as a huge prospect and defeated Youssef Zalal via unanimous decision in his UFC debut. Later he scored four stoppage victories in a row – over Jai Herbert, Damon Jackson, Ryan Hall, and Bryce Mitchell.
Ilia Topuria is a pressure fighter. The Georgian is a master of right hook and cage cutting. He tries to piece his opponents up with a flurry of punches in the early stages of the fight. If the bout gets dragged to the ground, Topuria will try to finish with powerful ground and pound bombs. His cardio is amazing and he can trade toe-to-toe shots for 15 minutes.
Topuria’s heavy hands put many fighters to sleep. His BJJ defense is out of this world, which we’ve seen in the match against BJJ black belt Ryan Hall, who was unsuccessfully trying to drag Topuria to the floor with Imanari Roll attempts. Emmett’s wrestling game is excellent, but Topuria’s takedown defense is on point. It is very hard to drag the Georgian to the ground, his double-leg defense is amazing.
Josh Emmett Looking To Bounce Back With Win
Josh Emmett is one of the most experienced 145-pounders in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He got a chance to win the interim 145-pound division belt in his previous match, but Yair Rodriguez surprisingly stopped him via guillotine choke in the second round.
Emmett’s trademark is his toughness. Josh can eat tons of shots and remain on his feet. Throughout his career, Josh scored notable wins over legendary Michael Johnson, Mirsad Bektic, Ricardo Llamas, Shane Burgos, Dan Ige, and Calvin Kattar. Five-round fights are not a problem for Emmett. Can he survive against Topuria?
