Starting off his UFC campaign at 2-0, Josh Emmett will look to extend his undefeated pro record when he takes on newcomer Desmond Green. With wins over Jon Tuck and Scott Holtzman, Emmett is excited to be matched up with another tough competitor.
The 19-5 Green, comes into his UFC debut on a 4 fight win streak and a lot of experience. He fought for the likes of Titan FC, Legacy and Bellator MMA. Emmett is well aware of who is opponent is and is expecting a grueling contest.
“Even though he’s making his debut in the UFC, he’s a veteran of the sport,” Emmett said. “He has like 24 professional fights, he’s 19-5, he’s a well rounded fighter, really athletic and a great wrestler. He was a Division 1 wrestler so I know it’s going to be a tough fight and I’m just looking forward to it because the tougher the opponent, I always rise to the occasion.”
Always threatening with a diverse offensive attack, Emmett is an aggressive striker who pushes the pace. He’s expecting his pace to be mirrored by his opponent Green, who has a grapple-heavy approach to his fights.
“Definitely wrestling is his best attribute,” Emmett said on Green. “He uses his punches to get inside on either the single or double leg. He’s really good on top controlling people but I feel like my jiu-jitsu is better than him and I believe I’m one of the toughest fighters he’s fought so far”
Emmett is no stranger to a tough battle as his first two UFC fights went the distance. In his debut, he broke his finger in the third round where he had his bone sticking out of his finger. He battled the last two minutes of the fight with the injury and notched the win.
His second fight took place in his hometown of Sacramento when he had an all out war with Scott Holtzman. Both fighters were visibly tired but it was Emmett who was able to push through, showing a lot of heart.
“It’s more experience, I’m getting more ring time,” Emmett said. “I’ve only had 2 fights in the UFC but I fought 30 minutes in the UFC. No matter if I’m injured or tired, I’m going to fight for 15 minutes so no matter what’s going on with me, someone’s going to have to put me away. Anyone that fights me, it’s not going to be an easy fight and I think I’ve shown that.”
Training at Team Alpha Male, a gym renowned for its wrestling, Emmett feels he is prepared wherever the fight goes. He is expecting his opponent Green to push him and he has enlisted the help of multiple southpaws at Team Alpha Male in preparation for the fight.
“The only thing I switched up for this camp is that I’m sparring southpaws. We have some great southpaws about the same height as him, the same reach. I actually think I’m sparring better strikers but he has that great wrestling so I have to watch out for that and be cautious.”
Emmett was forced to pull out of his second scheduled UFC fight vs. Jeremy Kennedy back in August of last year when a shoulder injury put him on the shelf for a few weeks. He separated his AC joint in his shoulder and even through his Scott Holtzman training camp, was forced to refrain from wrestling.
He went ahead and fought anyway as he didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to fight in front of his home crowd of Sacramento. Now fully healed, he is hoping that the finish will finally materialise for him.
“I’m always looking to finish the fight,” Emmett said. “I want to keep the undefeated record alive. I go out there and win this fight and keep climbing the ranks. I’ll have one more fight in my contract, I want to win that and have a little more leverage when we renegotiate my contract.”
“I want to be thrown in the mix and they start giving me top guys and see where that goes. My ultimate goal is to be a world champion and I feel like I still haven’t been able to show that much to the fans and to the UFC.”
He will get the opportunity when he takes on Green April 8th in Buffalo, New York. After his win in Rotterdam, Emmett and his family went on a Euro trip and he is excited to capitalize on another opportunity to experience new places.
“I’m really excited. When they legalized MMA there, I thought it would be so cool to fight there, especially Madison Square Garden. I know I’m in Buffalo but I’ve never been to the East coast, I’ve never been to New York so I’m really looking forward to that.”
Emmett versus Green will be the second fight on the FS1 prelims on the UFC 210 card. He will share the card with teammate Cynthia Calvillo who has found herself in back to back PPV main cards. Emmett will look to get the ball rolling as he is confident that he’ll get the job done.
“I will get my hand raised. I’m going to come to fight and it will be an all out war for 15 minutes if it goes the distance.”