“Besides (Alexander) Volkanovski”: Josh Emmett Targets Max Holloway to Further His UFC Title Chances

Josh Emmett created waves in the world of MMA by delivering an exceptional performance at UFC 296 against Bryce Mitchell. However, post his win he didn’t release any call-out for his next fight. But looks like now Emmett has set his eyes on who he plans to face next in the octagon. In a recent conversation with Ariel Helwani, he showed his readiness to fight former UFC featherweight champion, Max Holloway.

During the interview with Helwani for MMA Hour, Emmett called out Max Holloway for the next bout. On being asked about his take on facing ‘Blessed’, Emmett agreed and shared that Holloway has only been defeated by ‘The Great’ in the division so far. Moreover, he added that ‘Blessed’ has faced all fighters from the featherweight division but not him. Therefore he termed the bout as an honourable matchup. He said,

“Besides Volkanovski, I think [Max Holloway] is one of the best featherweights of all time. But Max has beat everybody. The only person who has his number is Volkanovski, so he’s the No. 1 contender. He’s cleared out pretty much everyone in the division and fought everyone but myself. It would be an honor to fight him, and that’s a sure shot to the title. Going in and beating him, there’s nothing left but to fight for the title.”

Emmett’s fight against Holloway will play an exclusive role in the featherweight division which is currently ruled by Alexander Volkanovski. Holloway who has already faced ‘The Great’ thrice is currently at #1 rank in the division. So if #6 Emmett defeats #1 Holloway, Emmett might get a direct title shot against ‘The Great’.

Josh Emmett and his iconic Muhammad Ali Moment at UFC 296

‘CC0’ proved his mettle recently when he entered the octagon against Bryce Mitchell at UFC 296. The brutal left hand laid Mitchell flat on the canvas making it one of the best knockouts of the year.

Moreover, Emmett later took to X (FKA Twitter) and shared a collage of his UFC 296 win alongside the iconic photo of Muhammad Ali. The picture that Emmett compared his win was the coldest moment from Ali’s fighting career against Sonny Liston in their rematch in 1965. The caption read,

“As Iconic as it gets”

Emmett tried to compare his winning moment against Mitchell and his reaction with Ali’s reaction against Liston when he was knocked out on the canvas.

Emmett’s win over Mitchell at UFC 296 gave goosebumps to those who were in the arena. It will be interesting to see who will now enter the octagon against Emmett when it comes to his next bout. The final call lies with the UFC and therefore we advise fans to remain patient and see how things unfold.