Josh Emmett secured arguably one of the most brutal knockouts of the year against Bryce Mitchell at UFC 296. Emmett landed a brutal right hand that left Mitchell unconscious for a long time. Following the win, Emmett took to Twitter to share a picture of himself standing over Mitchell alongside an iconic photo of Muhammad Ali.
The picture in question here is probably the most iconic photo of Muhammad Ali. The image was taken after his knockout win over Sonny Liston in their rematch. Ali first faced Liston in February 1964. He secured a sixth round stoppage to win the WBA, WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles.
The pair then faced each other in a rematch in May 1965. This time around, Ali delivered a brutal right hand in the first round that left Liston motionless on the floor. Ali was seen thumping his chest while Liston was on the ground. This created one of the most iconic images in all of sports let alone boxing.
Emmett shared a similar image of himself being held back by referee Herb Dean as he celebrates over an unconscious Bryce Mitchell. The caption for the image said,
“As Iconic as it gets”
As Iconic as it gets #UFC296 pic.twitter.com/9td0wLzdP4
— JOSH EMMETT (@JoshEmmettUFC) December 17, 2023
The win put to an end to a two-fight skid for Emmett who had lost to the likes of Yair Rodriguez and Ilia Topuria. The win has now put Emmett in a position to call out some of the biggest names in his weight class. With that being said, let’s take a look at what could be next for Emmett after UFC 296.
What is next for Josh Emmett after Muhammad Ali style knockout win at UFC 296?
Josh Emmett is currently ranked sixth in the UFC’s featherweight division. Unfortunately most of the fighters ranked ahead of him are already scheduled for a fight. However, there is one name in the top five that is not booked at the moment. Brian Ortega is currently on a two-fight skid with losses against Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez. A fight between Emmett and Ortega will be an excellent matchup in the featherweight division.
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It would give Emmett an opportunity to establish himself as a title contender in the division. On the flip side, it would give Brian Ortega the chance to try and get back into the win column with a win over a big name. Irrespective of who he faces, UFC fans will be eagerly waiting to see Emmett return given what he did at UFC 296.
