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Josh Emmett suffered a horrific beatdown at the hands of Ilia Topuria that resulted in a unanimous decision loss in the main event of UFC Jacksonville on June 24, 2023.
Josh Emmett dug deep at #UFCJacksonville pic.twitter.com/9kWyOKSxcR
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) June 24, 2023
Early on Josh Emmett was landing some good shots but once Ilia Topuria found his groove midway through round one it was a wrap for the former title challenger. Topuria's superior boxing and defense were on full display in his first-ever main event spot against his toughest competitor to date. He was able to slip and rip for the majority of the fight and landed the much more devastating shots that almost finished Emmett on multiple occasions.
Emmett was beaten to a bloody pulp and his eye was so badly swollen that the doctor was close to stopping the fight in between rounds. It was his heart and durability to keep him in the fight for the entire 25 minutes and he never backed down, not one single time even though he was taken an extreme amount of damage.
After that tough loss it's back to the drawing board for the former title challenger to see what is the best possibility moving forward for him. We take a look at what potentially could be next for Josh Emmett as he tries to get back on track towards another featherweight title shot.
Arnold Allen
Arnold Allen is a featherweight contender with a 19-2 record in the UFC. He is currently ranked #4 in the division and is coming off a unanimous decision loss to the No. 2 ranked featherweight contender and former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway in April 2023. Allen is a well-rounded fighter with good striking and grappling skills. He has shown the ability to finish fights, with 11 of his 19 wins coming by way of knockout or submission. A fight between Emmett and Allen would be an exciting matchup between two top-10 featherweights.
Giga Chikadze
Giga Chikadze is a rising star in the featherweight division with a 14-3 record in the UFC. He is currently ranked No. 8 in the division and is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Calvin Kattar in January 2022 that has had him out of commission since. Chikadze is a talented striker with a background in kickboxing and Muay Thai. He has shown the ability to finish fights with his striking, with 9 of his 14 wins coming by way of knockout. A fight between Emmett and Chikadze would be a battle between two powerful strikers.
Movsar Evloev
Movsar Evloev could be a potential opponent for Josh Emmett. Evloev is an unbeaten featherweight contender with a 17-0 record in the UFC. He is coming off a unanimous decision win over Diego Lopes at UFC 288 in May 2023. Evloev is a well-rounded fighter with good striking and grappling skills. He has shown the ability to finish fights, with 7 of his 17 wins coming by way of knockout or submission. A fight between Emmett and Evloev would be a matchup between two top-10 featherweights with similar skill sets. Both fighters are known for their toughness and ability to finish fights, which would make for an exciting matchup.
