LAS VEGAS – Josh Emmett has weighed in on the 2 marquee featherweight fights at UFC 314.
Within the UFC 314 predominant occasion (ESPN+ pay-per-view), Alexander Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) will tackle Diego Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) for the vacant 145-pound belt April 12 at Kaseya Heart from Miami.
Emmett (19-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) finds it arduous to choose in opposition to the previous five-time defending UFC featherweight champion.
“I’m excited to observe it,” Emmett mentioned at Wednesday’s media day. “Each super-talented fighters. I really feel like Volkanovski simply being who he’s and such a dominant champion, I’m leaning in the direction of him.
“I believe Volkanovski will get that job executed. The best way that Diego wins, clearly he’s good all over the place, he’s hungry. If he wins, I believe he catches him early, however the longer the battle goes, I believe it’s closely favored in the direction of Volkanovski.”
On the primary card of UFC 314, former Bellator champion Patricio Freire (36-7 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes his octagon debut in opposition to former interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez (16-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC). Emmett was submitted by Rodriguez in their interim title fight at UFC 284 in February 2023.
“I do know ‘Pitbull,’ he’s actually good, he was a two-division champion at Bellator, however I don’t know,” Emmett mentioned. “Stylistically, we’ll see actual fast within the first spherical. I can argue how each guys win and get the job executed, however it’s who reveals up, who needs it extra, however I believe we’ll determine that out very fast, inside the first couple of minutes of the battle.”
Emmett returns in opposition to unbeaten rising featherweight contender Lerone Murphy (15-0-1 MMA, 7-0-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 65 (ESPN, ESPN+) predominant occasion on the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
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